Free: A Feuding Remnant
by HolyOrdersOtaku
Summary: "The feudal lords of Remnant are fickle and antagonistic, but in the end we all wanted peace. Jaune was betrothed to Pyrrha, and our territories were to be combined. But that didn't happen. Not the way it should have. I'm sorry, Jaune. I've failed you. Both as your friend, and your servant. Forgive me." Modern realistic setting, and medieval feudal rule. T for language and violence
1. Prologue I

Prologue I: The Beginning is the End

 _August 14, 2016 8:33 PM Vale Standard Time (VDT)_

* * *

"Look," Adam muttered under his breath. "Isn't it beautiful? _This_ is what freedom looks like." He stood within a high rise building in the center of Vale looking out of a recently cleaned window, the offices of the building abandoned in fear of the battle that raged just on the outskirts of the city. He wore his favorite suit, his blood red hair combed back neatly, and his sunglasses tucked delicately into his jacket pocket; tonight was a night to celebrate.

He heard nothing of importance behind him, but he knew that Blake was standing nearby, watching in awe alongside him. Though, from her perspective it was more along the lines of horrifying. "This is freedom?" she asked with a shake to her voice. Adam only nodded.

He couldn't see it from here, but he _knew_ what was happening in the streets below and beyond. The Arc family and the Nikos family were feuding, culminating into total war. Swords clashing and guns firing signaled the fall of many a soldier and Adam had much to gain from both families destroying each other. He orchestrated the war, after all. Before the night was over, Lord Jaune Arc and Lady Pyrrha Nikos would both be dead, and a new government would take root.

A government in _his_ vision.

"This isn't freedom," Blake whispered nervously. "This is madness."

Adam smiled, not caring about the words she spoke. "This is what _everyone_ wanted," he muttered back, partially responding to her, and partially mumbling to himself.

"It's not what _anyone_ wanted," Blake said.

Adam heard a gun cock.


	2. Part I: Chapter 1

Part I: The Lord and the Rose

Chapter I: Thief

April 4, 2001 9:37 AM Vale Standard Time (VST)

* * *

The sound of the policeman's whistle sent a fearful shudder down her small spine as she ran as hard as she could through the streets and alley ways of Vale. She paid little attention to the curious gazes she was being given by the adults around her, choosing instead to hold tightly onto the bundle of apples that she carried in her arms. She was naturally fast, which normally would have made her confident that she could outrun and out maneuver the law enforcement. She hadn't eaten in over three weeks, however, and the sluggishness of her movements grew more apparent with each step her tiny, dirty bare feet made. The loose stones and shards of broken glass had caused her some trouble as well, seeing as how she wasn't wearing shoes. She began to stumble along mid stride, barely able to steady herself before continuing her flight from the law. "Stop that girl!" one of the policemen shouted, and her legs found new fervor.

"Excuse me!" she shouted frantically, ducking under a man's arm as he was conversing with another gentleman. Shocked as he was, he didn't have time to grab her as she bolted past him, inadvertently becoming a blockade between the girl and the police. "Thank you!" she yelled back at him before she darted down an alley out of sight of the cop. To be on the safe side, she went down three more alleys before stopping for a rest.

She leaned up against the brick wall of a building, sliding with her back before her bottom gently landed on the concrete floor as she gasped for breath; she was exhausted and starving. Refusing to wait even a moment longer, she practically shoved an apple into her mouth. She felt like crying tears of joy in that moment. It was the single most delicious thing she could imagine in this instant. Admittedly she was eating it so fast that she barely tasted it, but she knew from the feeling of the sticky, fruity juice that dripped down her chin that it must have been the sweetest of apples. Her fear was almost completely gone, replaced by blissful happiness as she gave a content sigh before throwing away a spent apple core, reaching for a second one as she swallowed the remains of the first.

"Hey!" cried the familiar voice of a cop. Her heart skipped a beat. "Don't move, thief!" Without hesitating she grabbed the bundle of apples that she still had and bolted out of the dark alley. "Stop!"

Into the sunlight she leapt, desperate to escape her pursuer. His whistle blew behind her, sending her into a momentary panic. But then she heard a second noise that scared her even more.

Screeching tires.

Looking to her left she saw a brand new, solid black luxury car speed towards her, smoke billowing from its rear wheels as it desperately tried to stop. In her fear she found that her legs refused to move. Just a child, yet this is how she was to die.

The car's momentum had slowed just enough to spare her injury, but still the hood hit her and knocked her to the pavement. The cop stepped out of the alley, his eyes wide in shock as he rushed to the girl's side. He gave her a quick inspection, thankful that she was unhurt before he defaulted to his angry demeanor. "You're in a world of trouble, young lady!" he shouted at her. "First you steal, now you run out in traffic? You could have died!" He grabbed her by the arm and began to hoist her up. "Come now, let's return these fruits to their proper owners, shall we?"

She tried to resist, but the body of a starving child is weak and vulnerable. She heard the driver side door of the car open; out of it came an elderly gentleman in a black suit, his grey hair combed neatly and his bushy eyebrows well kempt. "Good God, is the child okay?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," the officer stated apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry for the scare. This girl stole some apples from a vender a few streets over. Thankfully she is unhurt, and I'll be escorting her to return the goods before I call her parents."

"Parents?" asked another man who'd stepped out of the back seat of the same car. He too was older, but he was closer to middle aged than elderly, likely in his late thirties or early forties. His hair was a bright blonde, his eyes a piercing blue, and he wore black dress pants, black dress coat, a bright blue dress shirt, and a solid white tie with a yellow crest embroidered upon it that looks like a pair of crescent moons. "Officer, look at this child. Do you think a girl in her state would be stealing fruit if she had _parents_?"

The officer stopped and stared at her curiously as realization hit. "All the same sir, I still need to take her in. If she is indeed a homeless orphan then she must be put into foster custody. Surely you understand mister..." He paused as she changed his gaze to the blonde haired man. His eyes went wide, and he immediately gave a respectful bow to him. "I-I'm so sorry, Lord Arc. I didn't realize this was your vehicle. I'm so terribly sorry, you must be busy! I'll take the girl and get out of your way."

"Not at all," the man, Lord Arc, said with a smile. "I'll take care of her, if you don't mind."

"My lord, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that!"

"You didn't," he replied flatly. No more, no less.

The elderly driver laughed, and the officer blushed as he couldn't argue with the lord. "I'm terribly sorry, my lord. The girl is yours."

"As you were, officer. You did nothing wrong." The lord approached the girl. "Let's go pay for those apples, shall we?" he asked, motioning to the car.

The girl looked around nervously, unsure of what to do. Her gaze met that of the driver, who simply smiled. "It's okay, lass. We're not going to hurt you. Hop on in." She turned to Lord Arc, who simply smiled. She gulped audibly, but steeled herself and climbed into the back of the car, with Lord Arc seating himself beside her and closing the door.

"Alchemy, let's pull around to the produce market. I believe we have a vendor who needs to be paid."

"Yes sir," the driver said as he closed his own door. Shifting the car into gear, he resumed driving. The girl looked out of the car's tinted window and saw the police man give her a sincere smile. _Maybe he wasn't so scary,_ she found herself thinking.

"So," Lord Arc said, breaking her from her thoughts. "What am I to call you, young lady?"

She turned and stared into his piercing blue eyes. Those eyes, to her, were commanding and meant to be feared, whilst also being gentle and loving. She couldn't explain it, but she instinctively knew to trust this man, but to also respect him. "Ruby," she said. "My name is Ruby Rose."

"And how old are you, Ruby?"

"Seven."

He sighed. "Stealing food at the age of seven." He shook his head. "Let's fix that, shall we? My name is Vincent Arc. I'm the lord of Vale. Have you heard of me?"

"No," she answered innocently.

"No, I suspect a child living alone on the streets wouldn't know the world of politics. But, that's okay," he said with a smile. "All that matters is that you're never going to go hungry again."


	3. Part I: Chapter 2

Chapter II: L'Arc-en-Ciel

 _April 4, 2001 10:45 AM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

Jaune Arc picked unenthusiastically at the green monstrosity that sat before him. For years, _centuries_ it felt, he had fought this seemingly one sided war against the verdant abomination that rested unabated in his presence, and it _irked_ him to no end. Weapon in hand, he contemplated how he might finally prove himself victorious. Shall he cut it up into tiny pieces and throw it into some black void, never to be seen again? Tempting. So very, very tempting. Perhaps, while no one is looking of course, he might chuck it into the nearest and largest of fireplaces and let it burn until it was naught but ash. It deserved only the _hottest_ portion of hell, after all. Better still, he could stow it away in secret and leave it alone in the forest to rot alone. No one would ever have to know.

"Eat your broccoli, young master Jaune," came the voice of Noel, the butler assigned to watch the nine-year-old when his father was away. "You _know_ your father will want to know how your breakfast went."

"Why would anyone make broccoli for _breakfast_?!" the boy asked, exasperated. "Breakfast is for muffins and cereal! What evil mastermind plotted this?!"

"You lord father doesn't want you eating too much sugar in the morning. This is what he put on the menu _himself_. You're more than welcome to argue the case with him once he returns home. Which should be any moment now." The young lordling gulped audibly. "So, you'll eat your broccoli?"

"I'll eat my broccoli, Mr. Noel," Jaune agreed somberly. "But I _won't_ like it!" he cheered defiantly as he began to force the gross, green vegetable down, drawing a gentle smile from Noel.

"Of course, young master." Long had he and his family served the prestigious House Arc. Though only a man of thirty himself, he was but a boy of twelve when he first began to serve Vincent Arc at his own father's command. For seventeen years Noel had lived and served here in the castle of the Spring Court, Château d'Arc. Back then, Vincent hadn't yet married and the Four Courts were still in the midst of the Hundred Year War, which had only ended in 1989, a short twelve years ago. The houses of Arc, Schnee, Nikos, and Branwen fought for a century with the faunus lords of the world, ending only after new lords took command of their courts and demanded a peaceful resolution.

It was days like today, where Noel had to watch this child begrudgingly eat his vegetables, that he thought back to that dreadful war and thanked the gods that he never had to fight in it, and he silently prayed that Jaune would never lord over a court at war.

"I will defeat you, monster!" the boy shouted as he forced down the last of his hated, green foe, and Noel chuckled softly to himself. _Then again_ , he thought. _If he treats all enemies the same as broccoli, he may be a dreadfully powerful lord indeed._

From the main entry hall of the castle, Noel heard the heavy wooden doors swing open, signaling Lord Vincent's return. "I believe your father has returned home, young master."

Jaune smiled brightly. "I'm done with my broccoli!" he proclaimed as he leapt to his feet from the chair, which was slightly too tall for him to begin with. He began to run to the doors, but Noel stopped him fast. "What gives, Mr. Noel?"

"No running."

"Ahhh! Why are you such a rule nut!"

"Your father," was the short and only answer he gave, though he said it was a smile. "Just be safe, young master. Don't trip over your own legs."

Jaune sighed. "Yes, Mr. Noel." He resumed his journey, though only _slightly_ slower as the butler followed close behind. The boy and his servant entered the main entryway in time to see Vincent stand with his back to them, seemingly talking to someone who seemed to be standing between him and his personal servant, Alchemy.

"It's quite all right, child. This is your home now," he said soothingly to someone that Jaune couldn't quite see. "I suppose the first order of business is to feed you some proper breakfast. Apples are good for you, but a growing girl such as you needs more nourishment."

 _A girl?_ Jaune thought curiously. "Breakfast?!" was the excited response that he heard in return, the voice sounding small and feminine. With that, an energetic little girl a year or two younger than himself bounced out from the other side of his father. She was wearing rags, no shoes, and was filthy from head to toe. "Where? Where?" she asked before her eyes locked onto Jaune. Her excitement faded away instantly as she ran back to Vincent and hid behind the man's leg.

"Hm? What's the matter, child?" He turned and saw Jaune. "Ah!" he said with a smile. "It's quite alright. You don't need to be afraid of him." Her grip on his pants leg only tightened. "Jaune, come here. I have someone I want you to meet." Curious, he obeyed his father's wishes and approached as slowly as he could so as to not accidentally chase the poor girl away. Somehow, he felt that she needed to be here. "This is my son, Jaune. Jaune, this is our new house guest, Ruby."

She poked her head out from behind Vincent, and Jaune was taken aback by the brilliance of her silver eyes; he'd never seen anything quite like it before. "I-I'm Ruby Rose," the girl sputtered out.

And Jaune smiled. "I'm Jaune Arc!" he said cheerfully, extending his hand respectfully as he'd been taught to do. Patiently he waited, but the girl didn't budge another inch. His smile faded and was replaced with worry after a moment. She stared at his hand in confusion seemingly. He approached hesitantly, and she flinched. "It's okay," he said gingerly. "Look." He reached and carefully pulled her right hand off of his father's leg and gripped it tenderly in his own before slowly moving it up and down. "It's a handshake. It's a friendly way of saying hello."

She looked at him with amazement in her eyes, glancing back and forth between his eyes and his hand. "H-hello," she said slowly.

"Hello," Jaune replied happily.

She stared at him longer still before a smile slowly crept into her features. "Hello!" she cheered happily, fully coming out from behind Vincent. Her demeanor was once again bubbly and happy, and this made Vincent, Jaune, Noel, and Alchemy smile uncontrollably.

"So," Vincent interjected, gaining both children's attention. "About breakfast."

"Breakfast!" Ruby shouted excitedly again, having been reminded of the promise of food.

* * *

An hour had gone by, and Jaune found himself in his father's office. To Jaune's memory, he had never seen his dad's desk completely clean. It was always blemished with sizable mounds of papers; various letters of mark, requests for assistance, laws needing approval, and various other legal documentations that Jaune didn't understand at all. The room was, by comparison to most rooms in L'Arc-en-Ciel, rather small. The wall behind the large mahogany desk held a single but sizable double paned window to allow natural light, while the other three bore simple landscape paintings that had been in the family for generations. In addition to the wooden desk, there were also a handful of comfortable wooden chairs for any guest of Vincent's to sit in while they talked politics. Jaune sat in one such chair, situated in front of the desk that his father currently sat in as he explained the situation to the boy.

"That's the gist of it, son," he finished. "She'll be staying with us from now on."

"So...is she my sister now?" Jaune asked.

"You can look at her that way if you want, but I doubt the people of Vale, or the rest of the Spring Court for that matter, would like the idea of me granting lordship rights to a commoner girl who was only this morning stealing for survival. She'll be educated the same as you, and treated with the same level of respect as you within these halls, but she'll never hold your title, Jaune."

Jaune titled his head in thought; he was confused. "So, if I'm supposed to grow up to be a lord, and she's to be treated the same as me...what is she supposed to be when she grows up?"

"Anything but a lord, really. She could be your advisor, or she could work with the staff here. She could leave and find her own path when she gets old enough, if she so chooses. That's the way the world works after the Old Kingdom split into four." Vincent took a deep breath, seemingly trying to relax after his trip as he leaned back into the leather backing of his chair. "It may be asking a lot of you, Jaune, but I'd like for you to try and be her friend. She's been alone for I don't know how long, living on the streets of vale with nothing but the rags you saw her in." He smiled. "I've sent a maid into town to grab some proper clothes for her, but for now I've told Noel to dress her in your old clothes. She's small, but I'm sure she can fit into some of them."

Jaune smiled at the thought. _A friend!_ "I'll do what I can, father!"

Vincent laughed heartily. "I thought you'd like the idea." A knock came from the door. "Come in."

The simple wooden door creaked open. "I believe we've misplaced that filthy little girl, my lord. But I _did_ find a flower to replace her," Noel said with a smile. He stepped aside to reveal the little Ruby, dressed in Jaune's old blue jeans from when he was about four or five, a blue shirt that was slightly too big on her, and a pair of chucks on her once bare feet. Her dirt smudged face was gone, and was replaced with a shining and clean pale color, and her once greasy hair now shone with its true red and black colors. She smiled brightly, her teeth now clean and white. "I present the young Ruby Rose, my lord."

"I feel _awesome_!" she shouted excitedly, throwing her arms up energetically.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Long time no update! I've had to think really hard on where exactly I want this story to go. I knew the ending, obviously as you can tell from the prologue, but I wasn't sure on the meat of it. Now I am sure, and we're good to go! Also, Little Ruby is now my favorite thing ever. Just imaging all of her dialogue in this adorable little voice as her mood shifts from cautious to happy and comfortable. She's found a good home! What future awaits the young Rose?

Till Next Time!


	4. Part I: Chapter 3

Chapter III: Squire

 _June 8, 2002 11:53 AM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

"Miss Rose, please! This is getting out of hand!" Noel cried in frustration as the young girl in question ran around the castle half naked. "You're getting far too old for this foolishness!"

Said half naked girl, Ruby Rose, was fleeing from the butler Noel, whom was carrying a small black and red dress that he was _desperately_ trying to make the girl wear. "Never!" Ruby shouted defiantly with a smile. Not a care in the world, she ran unabated by several other butlers and maids who all seemed to find the situation amusing. "Dresses are for losers~!" she cried as she rounded a corner.

Noel, running as fast as he could, rounded the corner and slipped on the stone floor, falling on his behind in the process with a loud grunt. A nearby maid giggled to herself as she witnessed the slip before returning to her duties. He righted himself into a seated position as he stared down the hall; there she stood, in her underwear and sticking her tongue out at him as a taunt. "You little devil," he muttered to himself in agitation.

"Nah nah! I am Ruby Rose! I don't wear dresses! I wear _pants_!"

"Now now, Miss Rose," said a nearby maid. "Remember; we have a special party happening tonight. Lord Vincent wants everyone dressed in their very best for when the guests arrive."

"I know, but I _hate_ dresses."

"Can you wear one just for tonight?"

Ruby stood still for a moment pondering. "I guess," she answered dejectedly. She hung her head and slowly made her way towards Noel. "I'm sorry, Mr. Noel."

His heart couldn't handle it, yet he had to force himself not to helplessly smile at the child. "It's okay, Miss Rose. We don't host these parties very often, so you won't have to wear a dress but once in a while."

"Okay."

* * *

Not much had changed in the last year since Ruby became his ward. Lord Vincent Arc was dutiful in his raising of the girl as he attempted to give her every luxury and right that he could afford to her while also educating her and helping her to understand her new life within the castle. Long gone were the days of the Hundred Year War, the dreadful war that he and the other three courts fought arm in arm against the Faunus. Times of peace were still, even after all these years, strange to him.

"The Mayor of Vale has confirmed that he will be coming this evening, my lord," Alchemy said as he read from a printed out copy of the itinerary that was lined up for the evening's events.

"Typical of that ass of a man to be the _last_ to accept the invitation," Vincent muttered, garnering a small chuckle from Alchemy with his rare use of profanity as the pair of men were making the rounds around the castle and surrounding grounds. He shook his head. "For once, I'd like him to show some initiative. He's supposed to be working for _me_ , after all."

"It can't be helped. He isn't very popular now that he's held office for two years. I doubt that he'll be reelected."

"What of the garden?" the lord asked. "Are your trainees almost done?"

"Another half hour I believe. The Garde d'Arc has been steadily growing over the last couple of years."

"What are the numbers?"

"About five hundred. And, if I may be so bold, those numbers are far too small. The Garde d'Arc used to be in the thousands. Tens of thousands during the war, in fact."

Vincent scoffed. "Glorified commanders that barely saw any real battle, that's what they used to be. No, I want the Garde to be smaller than it once was. More specialized. I pray that this peace lasts long enough for my son's grandchildren to prosper through, but should another conflict arise the Vale Armed Forces should be enough to defend ourselves." He paused as they reached the aforementioned garden where a small group of men were exercising and training with swords. "Defense is all we should have need of for the future, Alchemy. The four courts won't survive another Hundred Year War." He shook his head. "I'd like to see them. How many do we have?"

"Ten new recruits at the moment, my lord. Follow me."

* * *

Ruby had, once again, stuck away from Noel. Though, and surely much to the man's thanks, she was at long last dressed. An elegant red dress adorned her petite figure, complete with a small crimson bow to adorn her short hair. Noel, and even Alchemy to an extent, had tried their hardest this last year to make the wild child more lady like, but she would always sneak off about once every three or four weeks and have one of the maids cut her hair short for her. Noel was convinced that multiple maids were behind this un-lady like appearance, but Ruby always relished in the knowledge that it was just a single maid; an older woman who primarily worked the kitchens by the name of Renée.

And now, after twenty minutes of letting Mr. Noel and several maids _force_ the dress over her frame, she'd escaped the confines of the Château d'Arc, or L'arc en Ciel as some had called it. Truthfully, she found the language and accent of many of these members of nobility to be strange, but she'd adapted to it quickly enough. She couldn't pronounce most of the words, but she was learning to understand them.

The small girl made her way as sneakily as possible to the garden where she knew the Garde d'Arc were training their new recruits. This had become her daily routine for the better part of the last nine and a half months, but because she was a girl she had to be _sneaky_. Why the girls of the Spring Court weren't allowed to participate in combat training she wasn't sure, but that didn't stop her from watching in secret.

Taking a route that she'd established months ago so as to avoid the castle servants, she made her way to the garden and sat on a nearby hill to watch. The grass was freshly cut, emanating that pleasurable aroma while she watched longingly at the ten young men in full armor swinging practice swords at each other while the instructor shouted instructions. That's what she _really_ wanted; to become a _knight_. Her day dreams always drifted the mental image of herself in full plate armor with a long sword at her hip; Sir Ruby Rose, protector of the innocent! Before she could stop herself she sighed aloud.

"Is there a problem?" came a voice from behind, startling her straight to her feet. Sure enough, Lord Vincent stood on the same hill as she, with Alchemy looking at her with a knowing smile. "A girl your age shouldn't sigh like that," Vincent continued. "It's too early for you to have such problems to warrant the expression," he said gently, though he also smiled kindly to her as he spoke.

"I...I was just...I mean...I..."

He laughed heartily, unable to hold back at the sight of the poor girl's stuttering; he'd caught her breaking the rules, after all. "It's okay, Ruby. I'm not upset. We all have our own dreams and aspirations."

She frowned in spite of his jovialness. "Noel says that girls can't become knights. I asked all the maids and they said that he was right."

"Except for Renée, I imagine. She probably encouraged it, just as she cuts your hair."

Ruby's jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

"Who do you think gave her _permission_?" he asked with a sly smile. He approached her and stood to her side, gently using his hand to turn her back towards the trainees, keeping his right hand on her left shoulder. "They're almost finished. I suspect you don't want to miss much else."

Awkward though she felt, she was pleased that he wasn't upset with her, at least not that she could tell. Maybe he'd give her this last look and then forbid her from coming back? She shivered at the thought.

"Noel and the maids are only _half_ right, Ruby," he said soothingly. "Girls weren't allowed to become knights for hundreds of years. Back when wars were _only_ fought with the sword, spear, and shield only men were allowed to fight while the women were left at home to worry about their husbands, sons, and brothers. Until one day..."

The trainees were putting away their equipment and leaving the garden while servants came and cleaned up after them to prepare for the night's festivities. "Until?" she asked.

"Until one day, House Arc was born," he answered with a smile. "It's become almost legend now, but House Arc was created in the midst of war. A woman rose up and joined the fray, not for glory or for riches, but for the pursuit of peace. She donned the armor and blade of a man and leapt headlong into the battlefield. Men were inspired by her bravery and tenacity, to the point that on the eve of what was meant to be the final battle she stepped alone and unafraid into the battlefield and removed her helmet, revealing to all who she really was; a simple farm girl." He smiled as he told the story. "The men were so impressed with her bravery that both sides cast aside their arms and knelt to her, naming her _d'Arc_ , or _The Arc_ , saying that she was as the rainbow of God, used to forge a promise of peace. And so, she became the first Lord of House Arc, and where that battle was _supposed_ to happen, a city was built instead; Vale." He looked at Ruby with a joy in his eyes that only he could possess. "She was the first lady knight, and also the last."

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"Because no woman who has come after her has ever felt that they could live up to that legacy. She was unique. The option is there, Ruby. Someone needs only to make that choice. So, my little trouble maker. What are you destined to be; a lady or a knight?"

She beamed with a brilliance of joy that only a child could possess. "I want to be a knight!"

Vincent laughed. "What do you think, Alchemy?"

"I could train her myself," Alchemy said with a smile. "And I won't go easy on her either. She'd be trained just as hard as any other squire."

"I'll do my best!" She cried happily.

"Well then," Vincent said. "Seeing as how you've _ruined_ your pretty dress with grass stains, let's go fit you for a suit. One fit for a squire in training."

She gasped. "I can wear _pants_ to the party!?"

* * *

Several hours had passed by and Noel was starting to grow more and more concerned. "I'm sure she's just _fine_ , Noel," Renée said with a smile, the older woman's graying hair combed and tied neatly into a pony tail.

"I haven't seen her since I dressed her, Renée. Knowing her she's getting into a whole _mess_ of trouble! Oh, this'll be my job for sure. Lord Vincent will never forgive me that I've lost Miss Ruby for this long!"

"You're overreacting, Noel. The event is about to begin. Go take your place in the entrance hall and wait for Lord Vincent to greet the guests. After that, once dinner has started, you can voice your concerns to him directly."

"Are you _mad_? He'll fire me for sure!"

"He's an understanding man, you idiot. Just do as I say!"

He nodded, succumbing to his fate. This was it; the end of the line. Perhaps he could find a job as a waiter in a diner or something. That's what he deserved; to serve the commoners and deal with their tastes. He stood to the side of the room, as instructed, and awaited his fate. Another few minutes passed and the doors opened. Lords and Ladies from all over the Spring Court were ushered into the great hall, each dressed more fabulous than the last, and Noel began to sweat.

Another moment and the double doors at the top of the stairs opened, Vincent exiting gracefully with Jaune at his right hand side, and Alchemy at his left. He began to greet his guests, but Noel didn't hear a word that he said. No, because standing at the left of _Alchemy_ was a small, petite framed girl with short brownish red hair garbed in a black suit with a white dress shirt, and a bright blue tie with a yellow Arc crest emblazoned upon it, and at her right hip was a short, child sized ceremonial sword. On the chest of her jacket was a very specific pin; the symbol of a Garde d'Arc squire.

She met his gaze, smiled, and stuck her tongue out at him.

Noel breathed a sigh of relief.


	5. Part I: Chapter 4

Chapter IV: Excursion

 _October 31, 2006 12:37 PM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ruby?" Jaune asked, unsure of the situation that they found themselves in. "I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to go into town without either Noel or Alchemy in tow."

"To be fair," Ruby defended. "My _official orders_ are to be your personal body guard and to never let you out of my sight under any circumstances. I'm not really disobeying anyone right now."

"This is an abuse of your power and you know it!" Jaune stated in a mock anger, though he wasn't truly that upset, just worried.

"Says the future lord to his lowly servant who has _zero_ authority over him." She turned to give him a coy smile. "I'm also _younger_ than you are."

Four years had passed since Ruby became an official squire to the Garde d'Arc, and the young girl decided to celebrate her twelfth birthday with a trip to the city center. She hadn't been back since Lord Vincent had taken her into his home, which for the longest time was fine. Recently, however, she'd grown curious about her old stomping grounds. She wore her uniformed business suit, black with a white dress shirt and a blue tie marked with the crest of House Arc, a simple one handed long sword belted at her right hip.

Jaune sighed as the pair of them walked down the street on the sidewalk, the cars rushing by on the road and the citizens barely paying the two children any mind. Jaune himself was fourteen now, and while the pair of them had grown in the last four years he remained significantly taller than Ruby. He wore a simple white dress shirt with the top button undone and no tie, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of canvas shoes. "Well, there's no helping it I guess. We're already here. Where to?"

Ruby shrugged. "Dunno."

"Don't _dunno_ me. This was _your_ idea, Ruby!"

"Ah-pap! _Sir_ Ruby, if you please."

"Ruby, You're still a squire."

"A girl can dream, Jaune!" she said defensively. "I'll be knighted before you know it!"

He sighed again. "What happened to that shy little girl who used to share my room with me?"

"Hey, you said you'd never bring that up again!"

" _I'm scared of the dark, big brother!"_ he quoted, mimicking her voice as best he could with a smile, holding back a laugh.

"You weren't any better, mister _night light_!" Ruby accused.

"You said you'd never bring _that_ up again."

Ruby smiled coyly as she turned to meet the boy's eyes. "What would the people of Vale think, hm? Young Jaune Arc, future lord of the Spring Court, couldn't sleep without a night light at the age of _nine_."

"Okay, _okay_! I'm sorry, okay. Can we just figure out what we're doing here? Please?"

"We~ll," Ruby spun in a circle, taking in the splendor of the city. "Four years does a lot to a place, doesn't it. I barely recognize a thing. Oh! How about we hit up the market district? I know you got the big bucks on you."

Jaune shrugged. "That's fine. I don't really buy much anyway, I guess."

"Wanna buy your loyal body guard a present?"

"You have money too, Ruby."

"But it's not the same if I buy it for myself. How about this, you buy me a present and I'll buy you one too. Deal?"

"Like what? We can get pretty much anything we want, remember?"

"Spoiled brat."

"What was that?"

"Nothing~!" she said with a cheery smile as she turned on her heel and led the way to the market district.

Jaune rushed to catch up to her and walk on her left. "We'll be lucky if we don't get into trouble when we get home, you know that right?"

"You're dad's pretty chill. We'll be fine."

"I'm pretty sure _you're_ the spoiled brat. Aren't you supposed to be a servant?"

"I thought I was your friend. Do you think that I'm beneath you?" she said with a mock pout in her voice.

"Don't. Don't use that voice."

"Why not, big brother," she said, persisting the innocence in her tone. "Don't you like me?"

"Agh! How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Fine! Deal! We'll buy each other presents."

"Why?"

"Because..."

"Because why, big brother?"

"Because you're my friend and I love you, okay? You win! Just, stop with the voice. And the _big brother_ thing. You're killing me."

She smiled victoriously. "I _always_ win."

* * *

Noel looked up from his newspaper just as the two children walked by him, seemingly not noticing him. _Excellent, my disguise is perfect!_ he thought triumphantly with a smile. He wore a pair of sneakers, brown cargo shorts, a floral button up short sleeved shirt, and large sunglasses. His usually combed brown hair was messy and shaggy. He watched the pair intently just as they rounded a corner. "Market district, huh? Shouldn't be too hard to keep an eye on them."

"Noel, what are you doing?" came a woman's voice, and Noel felt as though he leapt out of his own skin. He turned and saw a tan skinned woman with dark yellow hair staring at him accusingly, dressed in a pair of open toed flat sandals, short brown hot pants, and a white tank top. Her hands rested on her hips as she stared at him with her green eyes. He recognized her as one of the maids of the Arc family.

"Uh, hi there Miss Crystal. What brings you to town?" he asked nervously.

"It's my day off. I came to do some shopping. Don't make this about me. You're _tailing_ them, aren't you?"

"Tailing who? I'm just sitting here reading a newspaper and enjoying this lovely Autumn weather that we're having. It's awful warm for this time of year, don't you think?"

"Noel, that newspaper is two days old."

"Oh. So it is. Silly me."

She sighed. "Leave them alone, Noel. Pull that stick out of your ass and go home."

"B-but...what if they get hurt? Lord Vincent would never-"

"Oh my God, if Lord Vincent was going to fire you, he'd have done it _years_ ago. Why can't you just let the pair of them enjoy a bit of freedom?"

"You know they aren't supposed to leave the castle unattended. I'm just doing my job, Miss Crystal."

"Do you honestly think that Lord Vincent didn't go through a rebellious phase? They're _kids_ , Noel. It's what they do. Let them have their fun."

"Absolutely not. I intend to tail them until I deem it appropriate to interfere and drag them home."

She sighed again. "Fine. I'm coming with you."

"Why?"

"So I can deck you're stupid face before you jump in and shout _stop right there_ at them. They're going to be _fine_ , Noel, and I intend to show you."

"But...you're shopping?"

"They're going to the market district, right? It's literally where I was going anyway."

He stared at her for a moment before his eyes drifted to the corner where he had lost sight of the children some minutes ago. He sighed. "Fine."

"And while we're at it, let's get you some new clothes."

"Again I ask; why?"

"Because you look stupid. Where did you even get a floral shirt? What is this, the Nineties?"

"I thought it looked good."

"You don't know shit about casual dress, do you?"

* * *

"Wow~!" Ruby exclaimed as the pair entered the market district. It was adorned top to bottom with orange and black banners, carved pumpkins, and smelled of cinnamon and pumpkin. "It's so colorful! Look at all the decorations! What's going on?"

Juane stared at her, confused. "It's October 31, Ruby. You _do_ know what that is, right?"

"Of course I do, it's my birthday!"

"Well... _yes_ , but it's also Halloween."

"Wait," she said. "That's a real holiday? I thought that was just something from _The Nightmare Before Christmas._ "

"No, it's real. When night falls all the kids in the city will be going door to door and asking for candy. The theaters will be playing scary movies, and there'll be a lot of seasonal products for sale at most of the stores."

"Such as?"

"I don't know. Candy apples. Pumpkin flavored coffee. Stuff like that I guess."

Ruby's silver eyes became as wide as saucers. "Did you say _candy apples_? _Candy! Apples!_ "

"Y-yeah?"

"Let's go get some!"

Jaune couldn't help but smile at her. "Okay. That sounds reasonable. Let's go, Ruby."

" _Sir_ Ruby!"

"Not yet you're not." Jaune stopped a nearby passerby and asked about the apples, and promptly led Ruby to the nearest stall that sold them, after which the pair began to browse many of the other shops and stalls while they snacked away at the sweet treats. After a time, the two stopped to buy a pair of pumpkin spiced coffees and sat down at a nearby outdoor cafe to rest for a moment. "Okay, okay," Jaune said as he sipped gingerly at his drink. "I take it back. This was a great idea."

"Hmm? I don't think I heard you right." Ruby said teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get full of yourself. This actually isn't that bad." He sighed. "I just hope father isn't angry with us. I'm sure he's noticed our absence by now."

"We'll be fine. What's the worst he could do?"

"Stop you from becoming a knight."

"N-now, let's not get too crazy. He wouldn't do that," she said, sipping at her drink before setting it down. "Would he?"

Jaune hesitated at the sight of genuine concern on Ruby's face. _Crap_. "N-no, I don't think he'd go _that_ far. It'll probably just be a lecture and a week of intense studies. Maybe some extra exercising for you during training."

"Yeah," she said, unsure. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll do that." She took another sip before cheering up. "Hey, I know! Since we're going to get in trouble anyway..."

"And whose fault is that?" Jaune whispered under his breath, taking another sip.

"Let's go buy costumes and go trick-or-treating!"

Jaune coughed, coffee coming out of his nose in the process. "Excuse me? You can't be serious."

"I am! We could do that as our gifts to each other! I'll pick your costume and you can pick mine! It'll be fun! Better still, if we wear masks it'll be harder for the public to recognize you."

"I don't really go out much anyway, so most people don't know what I look like. That was dad's decision so that I wouldn't be pestered by journalists when I got older."

"Aw, boo. The poor princess was forced to stay in her castle. Don't worry, Milady, you knight in shining armor is here to rescue you," Ruby teased with a smile.

Jaune felt his eyebrow twitch. "There are so many things wrong with what you just said, that I don't even know where to begin."

Ruby stood up and grabbed Jaune's hand. "Come on! I saw a party store nearby that has costumes. Let's go, let's go!"

* * *

Crystal stifled her laughter for as long as she could before the two kids had disappeared yet again into a store, and then she let it out. "Isn't that _adorable_! They're going to go trick-or-treating!"

Noel's grip tightened on his foam cup, nearly breaking it and spilling coffee everywhere. "This is _unacceptable_! A lord shouldn't be asking for free handouts like that! I must stop them!" He tried to stand up, but Crystal's hand grabbed his and stopped him. "Miss Crystal, _please_ , this has gone on for far too long."

"One: stop with the _Miss_ Crystal. Just Crystal is fine. Hell, if you calm down and let them be I might even be friendly enough to let you call me Crys. Two: it's _fine_! They're kids, Noel. This is what kids do on Halloween." She sighed. "Seriously. What did _you_ do as a kid?"

"I studied."

"And?"

Noel blinked in confusion. "And what?"

"Oh my God."

"And what!?"

"You are going to sit right here with me, and you _aren't going to move_! We'll wait until they're done and then I'll let you take them home. No sooner!"

"But-"

"Shut up and let them have fun! Hell, pretend its a day off and relax." She stared at him for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "What do you do on your days off?"

"What does that have to do with-"

"Answer the question."

"I...I play Sudoku and watch nature documentaries," he answered honestly.

"Yeah, no. Forget what I said. We're going to a movie."

"Why?"

"Because you are boring and need help, that's why."

* * *

It was close to midnight before the children finally started to make their way back out of the city to get on a bus back to the castle. The two of them were still wearing their respective costumes as well, having nowhere to leave them after buying them and each carrying a bag full of various candies. Jaune was dressed as a masked lord of sorts, styled after the _Phantom of the Opera_ , and Ruby was dressed as a ghost. Ruby felt her costume choice for Jaune was appropriate, but Jaune seemed to think Ruby's costume was hilarious with its lack of detail and bland look. Still, Ruby didn't complain in the least. Jaune being the age that he was she had to pretend that he was her older brother tasked with watching her on their night out, which thrilled her to no end to say the least.

"So, who was right?" she asked.

"You're really going to force me on this?"

"I can't hear you~."

"Fine. You were right. That _was_ a lot of fun. Today was a _great_ idea. Happy now?"

"You know it!" She exclaimed. "Though, I wish you'd have picked a better costume. Not much of a keepsake, is it?"

"I got it covered," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small keychain with a Beowolf attached to it and handed it to her. "My _real_ present for you. Happy birthday, Ruby."

"O-oh. Thank you, Jaune," she said with a slight blush. With her ghost mask off Jaune could see the red in her cheeks and smiled. "I actually also got you a different gift." Her hands shuffled under her costume as she fought to find her pocket before producing a small box. "This is yours."

"Hm?" Jaune accepted it and opened the box. Inside was a simple elastic band with red and yellow beads, and three blocky white beads that had letters engraved; _BFF_. His smile grew wider as he stared at it for a moment. As quickly as he could he slipped it onto his wrist and used his now free hand to give the smaller girl a side hug around her shoulders. "You're so sweet, Ruby. I love you."

"I love you too, Jaune. And, once I'm knighted, I'll always protect you. We'll be best friends forever."

The bus pulled up just as they arrived at the stop, and they prepared to board. "Well, we're in for it when we get home, aren't we?" he asked.

"We'll be fine. We'll be punished together."

"You're right about that, young lady!" shouted a voice behind them, startling them. They turned and saw the face of Noel staring at them, clearly upset with the casually dressed Crystal behind him shaking her head. "Do you have any idea what time it is, children!"

Jaune stuttered to try and find the correct response to deescalate the situation, but Ruby spoke before he could. "Noel, why are you wearing a floral print shirt?"

Crystal laughed.


	6. Part I: Chapter 5

Chapter V: Fate

 _November 5, 2006 11:30 AM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

"No holding back, Jaune!" Ruby yelled from across the garden, her sword held firmly in her left hand as she poised to strike. "I'll be sure to win!"

"You always win!" Jaune retorted as he took his stance with his own long sword in his right hand.

"And that's why you always lose," Alchemy said with an air of authority. "If you believe yourself to be weaker than your opponent then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Overcome that belief and strike."

"Y-yes sir."

"Are you two ready?"

"Ready!" they both shouted.

"Begin!"

Ruby lunged forward, aiming her blade at Jaune's stomach. He managed to parry it and retaliate with an upward strike at her right side. With a deftness few could possess unless they were Ruby's size, she twisted her body out of the way and slammed the dulled practice edge of her blade into Jaune's back, forcing him to stumble but keep his footing. "Dead," she said with a smile.

"Point to Ruby," Alchemy said. "You're learning quick as ever, Ruby. You'll make an excellent addition to the Garde d'Arc."

"Aw, stop it. You're making me blush."

"But you're overconfidence will be your downfall. Your limberness and size has its uses, and you should utilize them as such, but rely on them too much and you'll get carried away. There were no fewer than five openings for Jaune to strike back and win had he only the experience to spot them." Ruby hung her head apologetically. Alchemy turned to Jaune and smiled. "Fret not, young lord; you'll learn to see such things in time."

"Wha-what's the score now?" Jaune asked.

"Ruby is in the lead, Five-to-Two. There are three more practice rounds to complete before the day is out."

Jaune dropped to his knees. "How did you get so good, Ruby? I started learning swordplay a before you."

Ruby shrugged. "I guess I just really want to be a knight." She flashed him a smile. "It's okay, Jaune. You can be as awful as you want. You'll have me protecting you."

"Looks like you're beating me to a pulp right now," he mocked.

"Enough," Alchemy said sternly. "Reset and begin again on my mark."

"Yes, sir!" the kids shouted back as they jumped back to their starting positions and prepared for the next bout.

"Hold," came the voice of Lord Vincent as he approached from the castle, causing the two trainees to halt. "That's enough for today Alchemy," he said with a smile. "I think that's enough punishment for the day."

"If you say so, my lord. But, if I may be so bold, may I ask why?" Alchemy said quizically.

"I just received a very curious message from the Autumn Court. It seems Lord Orpheus has decided on taking a little stroll across the continent. An extended holiday, as it were. He's left his brother Leon in charge of Mistral while he's away with his wife and daughter. He asked me if it would be okay to stop by and stay the night."

"That's pretty short notice, my lord. Are we prepared for such company?"

Vincent laughed. "It's not a formal visit. I think we'll manage. Besides, I'd been meaning to broach a personal topic with Orpheus. This is the perfect opportunity for us to reconnect as friends, and for Jaune and Ruby to finally meet the Autumn Court rulers. After all, some day Orpheus' little girl will take the seat of power, so I suspect that she and Jaune will have to become quite familiar with one another." He turned to the two children before him. "Quickly get cleaned up and prepare for company. Be on your best behavior while Orpheus and his family are visiting."

"Yes father," Jaune said with a small bow.

"Yes, my lord!" Ruby said with a traditional salute; her right fist level with her chest. Sheathing their weapons, the pair rushed towards the castle as they were told.

Vincent smiled as he watched them go. "They're certainly growing up on me."

"It was quite fortunate that you picked up Ruby when you did, my lord. I fear that Jaune may never match you as a swordsman," Alchemy said with a frown.

"I honestly hope he never has to. Still, it's been good for him to have Ruby around regardless. I think he's happy to have a relationship with someone close to his age."

"Do you not worry that he may grow... _too_ familiar with her? As a future lord, he can't choose her for his bride."

"Hm? Oh, ha ha! No. No I don't worry about that at all. It wasn't my intention for them to grow as close as they have, but I suspect that won't be the case."

Alchemy raised an eyebrow curiously. "How can you be so certain, my lord?"

"It's a talent only a parent could have, Alchemy. I can't say for certain, but I've been paying very close attention to Ruby these last four years. I feel that her interests lie _elsewhere_." He smiled and laughed heartily. "And that's just fine. Jaune probably knows it too, even though she herself may not be fully aware of it. His interest in her is purely familial. She a little sister to be doted on. Or, more accurately, kept in check. She's a wild one."

"I can't believe she _actually_ convinced him to sneak out of the castle the other day."

Vincent slapped Alchemy on the shoulder. "Nothing the two of us aren't familiar with. Remember when we were that young, old friend?"

"Yes," Alchemy said with a flat expression. "And I remember that _you_ were the trouble maker back then."

"Well, back to the matter at hand. Its very astute that you'd mention Jaune's future marriage life."

"Oh?"

"I had an idea a few years ago. Tell me what you think."

* * *

Ruby stood leaning against the closed door in Jaune's room, shaking her head. "Why are you so nervous? Your dad said it wasn't a formal meeting."

Jaune himself was behind a changing curtain, fretting over what to wear for the evening. "This is the lord of the Autumn Court, Ruby! I have to make a good impression if I'm going to be the lord of the Spring Court someday! Gah! I don't know which one to wear!"

Ruby shook her head. "You're worse than a girl, Jaune."

"Says the girl who never dresses like a girl."

"Knight in training, punk. Skirts and dresses don't work out so well in a fight. Also, I never liked how airy they felt or how they squeezed your chest. I like to breath, thank you." She smiled. "Also, pants have pockets. You ever seen pockets on girls' clothes? I bet you haven't. Know why? They don't exist."

"You're not helping, Ruby!" he shouted in mock irritation. "Why are you even in here? I'm trying to change my clothes!"

"Nothing I haven't seen before, Jaune. We used to take baths together, remember?"

"We were too old for it then, and we're definitely too old for it now! Can I please have some privacy?"

"Nope."

"This is abuse, you know."

"Uh huh. We're friends, so it's okay. Besides, you said it yourself; I'm not that girly. Now, will you just pick something and get dressed?"

"I can't decide! Do I go with the white dress shirt or the blue one? Which cuff links? Which tie? Gah!"

"Oh for goodness' sake, let me see." Ruby marched over and jerked the curtain open, revealing a half naked Jaune in his underwear.

"R-Ruby, what gives!? Get out!"

Ignoring him, she began to point at the items that were displayed on the bench that he'd laid them on nearby. "Wear the white dress shirt and the yellow tie, and use the gold cuff links. It's not formal, so wearing the ones with the Arc crest could come off as tacky or snobby. Don't button up your blazer, wear it all casual like. And please, _please_ where black socks. White socks look stupid with dress shoes." She looked at him with a mock smile. "Is that so hard?"

"Ruby, I appreciate the effort, but I'm in my underwear here. _Please_ give me some privacy."

She poked him in the stomach with a smile. "Hey, you've lost some weight. Nice." She frowned after her finger made contact. "H-hey! You've got muscle! Where did that come from?"

"Ruby!"

"Fine, fine," she turned with a wave. "Just hurry it up." With a smirk she returned to her spot leaning against the door. "What would you do without me, Jaune?"

"Get dressed in privacy, I'd hope." After a few minutes he finally exited the changing curtain dressed as Ruby had instructed. "How can you do that, anyway? I'd never do that to you."

She shrugged. "I mean, I like you Jaune. You're my BFF. But I'm not _interested_ in you, you know. You are my brother, after all. Well, adoptive brother."

"I get that, Ruby, but a girl shouldn't barge in while a boy is changing. It's the same as if I were to barge in on you changing."

She thought about it for a moment. "I don't think that'd bother me that much, actually."

"You're joking." He sighed. "Is it because you don't care about _boys_?"

She blushed. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ah ha! I knew it! You don't like boys!"

"K-keep your voice down, Jaune. What if the maids heard you? Or worse, Noel. I can hear it now. _That's not very lady like, Miss Rose!_ " she said, imitating Noel's voice. "I'm not a lady, I'm a knight in training."

"You're not denying it," he said teasingly.

She shot a defensive glare at him, though she was still blushing. "You got a problem with that?"

He laughed. "Not at all. I figured it out _ages_ ago, Ruby." He sat down on his bed and smiled at her. "So, who've you got your eyes on?"

"No one."

"Come on, don't be like that. You can tell me."

"Jaune, we're the youngest people in this castle. The next youngest is Crystal, and she's like twenty-four. I'd like to stick to my own age group." She pointed at him accusingly. "What about you? You're a teenage boy. How're those rampaging hormones treating you with all those lovely maids running around the castle?"

Jaune blushed and scratched his chin in thought. "Well...I guess I feel the same as you about that. Plus I've known them all since I was small, so I can't really stomach the thought of looking at them like that." He shook his head. "This has gone on too long. We gotta get downstairs and meet with father.

"You're dodging the question, bro."

"And you're the nicest bully on Remnant, sis. Let's go."

* * *

Two hours passed. Jaune and Ruby found themselves in the main entryway standing side by side next to Lord Vincent and Alchemy. "What's the Autumn Court like?" Ruby asked.

"Do you mean Lord Orpheus or the Court itself?" Vincent replied.

"Both, I guess."

Vincent smiled. "Orpheus is an absolute joy of a man. He's one of my oldest friends, next to Alchemy of course. When the courts were at war with the Faunus he was the first to advocate for a peaceful resolution, which I promptly backed him on. We were both tired of all the fighting and wanted to see the Hundred Year War end. The war was fought by three different lords from House Arc alone, so it seemed normal to me at first since I grew up in the midst of it. After witnessing the terrors of war for myself, I began to have second thoughts. Orpheus was brave enough to voice those very same thoughts. It took effort, but between the two of us we convinced the Faunus, the Winter Court, and the Summer Court to lay down their arms and negotiate peace. He's the one who wrote the laws to allow the Faunus to integrate into all of the courts. That's why we have such a significant Faunus population in Vale and the surrounding towns. Truly a man ahead of his time, I think. As for the country, it's actually warmer than its name implies. They have a strong athletic culture and host yearly tournaments for fighters and athletes to prove their worth. They're a very proud people. Strong, but soft spoken. You'll like them, I'm sure."

"You said that Lord Orpheus had a daughter. How old is she?" Ruby asked.

"She's Jaune's age. Fourteen. Maybe you two can be friends with her?"

"Sounds fine to me," Jaune said with a smile.

The double doors opened in front of them, and Noel led in a small group of people from the outside. "Welcome to Château d'Arc," he said with a polite smile and a curt bow to the guests.

The tallest of them was a man with short, deep red hair and fierce green eyes. His face was smooth and shaved, and his clothes were a mixture of dark browns, gold, and red. Next to him was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes in similar attire, and between them was a young, teenage girl with hair and eyes identical to the man's, though her hair was longer and tied into a ponytail. The other two were clearly knights, dressed in brown suits with gold ties and swords at their wastes. "Vincent, my friend, it's been far too long!" the man said with a smile as he approached, giving Vincent a friendly hug.

Vincent returned the gesture with a smile. "It's good to see you Orpheus. I wish that you'd have told me you were coming sooner. I'd have prepared a celebration for you."

The two men parted and Orpheus waved a dismissive hand. "Bah, you know I don't like those stiff parties. I'd rather our reunion just be the two of us catching up over a brandy. How've you been?"

"Well enough. Keeping busy with these two to tie up my time," he said, pointing at Jaune and Ruby with a smile.

"Hm? Oh my. I didn't know you had a daughter, Vincent. Why didn't you tell me? I remember you phoned me the instant your son was born."

Vincent laughed. "Well, it's a bit complicated, but she's not actually mine. She's my ward, training to be a knight of the Garde d'Arc as Jaune's future body guard. Her name is Ruby Rose."

Orpheus whistled impressed. "Well I'll be. A girl your age training to be a knight, huh?"

"Y-yes, sir," she said stiffly without meaning too.

"Do me a favor, child."

"Anything, my lord."

"Don't let those boys off easy. Show them that just because a girl doesn't mean you can't wipe the floor with 'em, kay?"

She smiled widely and stood straighter. "Absolutely, sir!"

"And you must be young Jaune," he said, turning to the young lord. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from your father." Orpheus extended his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lord Orpheus," Jaune replied nervously, accepting the handshake.

"Now that you know my family, Orpheus, why don't you introduce us to yours?" Vincent asked.

"Ah, of course. My apologies. I got caught up in the reunion," Orpheus said with a smile as he stepped back and put a hand on each of the girls' shoulders. "This is my wife, Luca."

"How do you do?" Luca greeted with a polite curtsy.

"And this little ball of ferocity is my darling daughter, Pyrrha."

She mimicked her mother's curtsy, but her smile seemed even happier somehow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."


	7. Part I: Chapter 6

Chapter VI: Arrangements

 _November 5, 2006 3:25 PM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

"Wow, so you're pretty good at fighting then, right?" Ruby asked the young lady of house Nikos, Pyrrha. The three of them were sitting in the grass in the outside garden where Jaune and Ruby had been training some hours earlier.

Pyrrha shrugged. "I suppose. I never really wanted to do it, but father insisted that I learn it to protect myself just in case. It just sort of came to me naturally, I guess."

"So you're pretty, smart, _and_ a great warrior, and you're the same age as Jaune!" Ruby said with a wide smile. "Sorry, Jaune, but I want to be her knight now."

"Hey! What happened to that whole BFF thing earlier?" he asked defensively.

"Sorry, Jaune. She's just cooler than you are in every way."

Pyrrha chuckled softly. "I don't know about that. I'm sure Mr. Arc is just fine."

"Ah, just Jaune is fine. Father said that this was informal, and we're the same age too," Jaune said with a shy smile.

"Are you sure?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly. "I don't want to come off as too familiar when we barely know each other."

"Nah, it's fine!" Ruby smiled. "You can call me Sir Ruby!"

"Not yet you're not," Jaune jabbed, eliciting another giggle from Pyrrha.

"You two are quite close, aren't you? Are you betrothed?" she asked.

"Woah, woah! Slow down there. N. O." Ruby said assuredly, her arms crossed into an X. "I love Jaune, but not _that_ much. Besides, I'm just a commoner. That don't fly around here."

"Oh, I assumed you were nobility since you lived in the castle. I'm sorry for getting ahead of myself."

"No. I used to be homeless. My mom and I lived on the streets of Vale until she got sick and died when I was little. Jaune's dad found me about six or so months after that and took me in."

"Oh my, I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences."

Ruby shrugged. "Its fine, I guess. I mean, I loved my mom, but my life's pretty good now. I just wish she could have lived to see me now."

"I'm sure she'd be proud of you, Ruby," Jaune said, giving her a small hug.

"Hey, don't hug me right now. You're embarrassing me in front of our guest."

"So you're training to be a knight then, Ruby?" Pyrrha asked.

"Uh huh. Noel tried to make me a _lady_ when I first got here, but I loved watching the squires and knights train. I always wanted to be a knight, like in all the fairy tales." She elbowed Jaune roughly. "I just never expected my damsel to always be in such distress."

"Why do you make fun of me like that, Ruby?" Jaune said with a sigh.

"Hey, I'm just teasing, Mr. Abs." She laughed. "You never answered my question about that earlier."

"We've been training a lot lately. More so since we got back from town on Halloween. It's only natural that I put on some muscle after all that exercising." He sighed again. "I told you we'd get in trouble for that, didn't I?"

Ruby laughed. "Yet you haven't taken that bracelet off, have you, BFF?"

Instinctively, Jaune covered his left wrist with his right hand and blushed. "S-so what. It's a keepsake from my best friend."

Pyrrha laughed full force at that. "You two are quite cute together, you know. I can definitely see that you two cherish each other in your own way. You sure you aren't more than just _friends_?"

"Not you too, Pyrrha," Jaun said dejectedly.

Ruby simply stuck her tongue out. "Nope. Jaune's not my type. More _multiple_ reasons."

"That's 'cause you prefer-OOF!"

Ruby's fist landed a solid blow on his abdomen. "Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence."

Pyrrha stared at the two of them in confusion for a moment before her eyes went wide with realization. "O-oh. Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, Ruby. I couldn't tell."

"It's not exactly the best kept secret, Ruby. I'll bet most of the castle staff have figured it out by now," Jaune stated.

"Well, I'm still not comfortable with saying it out loud, okay. My secret, my rules!" Ruby yelled. She met Pyrrha's gaze, who was stifling a laugh now. Ruby paused for a moment before a grin crossed her own lips, and the three of them all bust out laughing at once.

* * *

"So, what do you think, Orpheus?" Vincent asked as he sipped from his brandy.

Orpheus took in a small mouthful and seemed to gauge the taste before swallowing and going _mmm_. "Surprisingly, Vincent, I had been thinking the same thing for quite some time."

Vincent laughed. "We really are one in the same, aren't we?"

"I assume you have terms and conditions."

"Only prolonged peace between our courts, and hopefully the others as well."

Orpheus smiled. "Yeah, I suppose Qrow and Jacques would want to celebrate the occasion as well." He sighed. "I do wish those two would get along better though."

"It can't be helped. The Summer and Winter Courts have always been at each others' throats. The alliance during the Hundred Year War was always seen as temporary."

"I have a counter proposition, Vincent," Orpheus said as he took another sip from his brandy.

"Oh?" Orpheus spoke quickly and precisely, eliciting an amused smile from Vincent as he listened. "I think that's a wonderful idea," he said when Lord Nikos had finished. "Should we tell them today?"

"We might as well. They'll need time to adjust to the concept. I know I did when I was told at that age."

"You and me both, friend."

"Dinner?" Orpheus asked.

"Dinner." Vincent agreed.

* * *

"Say, Pyrrha," Ruby started. "I have a really, _really_ dumb question."

"There's no such thing as a dumb question, Ruby. What do you want to ask?" Pyrrha answered.

"Would you fight me?"

"What!?" Jaune asked, alarmed. "Ruby, you can't do that! What if she gets hurt? We'd be responsible for injuring Lord Orpheus' daughter!"

"I want to see how good she is," Ruby confessed. "And we didn't get to finish our drills earlier. I'm not ready to rest."

"You can't be serious."

"I don't mind," Pyrrha said with a polite smile. "Though, I hope neither of us gets hurt."

"Of course not," Ruby said with a smile. "Just a friendly little spar. Practice weapons, rules, and everything!" The two girls turned to Jaune. "Jaune can be the judge and everything!"

"Why me?" Jaune sighed.

"If you're not comfortable with it, Jaune, then I'll decline Ruby's challenge," Pyrrha stated plainly.

"No, it's fine I guess. I'd never hear the end of it if I said no." He turned to Ruby. "Just don't injure her, Ruby! I don't want to get yelled at again!"

"Yes, sir, my lord!" Ruby said with a mock salute.

"I'm being serious. I know how good you are, Ruby."

"We'll be fine, Jaune. Relax." She turned to Pyrrha. We usually practice here in the garden." She pointed at a nearby rack with practice weapons laid out. "Pick your poison, Pyrrha."

The two girls approached the weapons; Ruby chose a sword, and Pyrrha grabbed a spear. "Jaune," Pyrrha began. "If we're going with competitive rules, would you draw us a circle in the ground?"

"Hm? Sure, I guess." Grabbing a practice sword, Jaune walked around in a wide perimeter and marked a circle in the grass and dirt.

"You lose when you give up, are disarmed, or step outside of the circle," Pyrrha explained. "Understand?"

"Understood," Ruby said with a smile. "May the best girl win!"

"Good luck to you as well, Ruby."

Jaune stepped back and sighed. "I hope we don't get into trouble again. Oh well. Ready?"

"Ready!" the two girls yelled.

* * *

"Where have our children gone off too?" Orpheus asked curiously as he and Vincent walked the grounds.

"They're probably in the garden. It's Ruby's favorite spot, and Jaune usually just goes where she goes," Vincent explained.

"Oh, is he smitten with her?"

"Not quite," Vincent laughed. "More like he doesn't know how to say no to women."

"Ha!" Orpheus laughed. "He'll be a perfect husband someday. We may be lords, but our wives hold the real power."

"It's a shame that Reign couldn't live to see her son grow up," Vincent stated nostalgically. "I'm sure she'd be proud."

"She would be, my friend. I'm sure of it."

"Well, enough of the past. Can't change it, unfortunately. The garden is just around this corner here." The two men rounded the wall just in time to see Jaune swing his straight down.

"Start!" he shouted.

"Oh?" Orpheus said curiously. "This'll be good."

"Indeed," Vincent said with a smile.

Ruby began to circle clockwise with Pyrrha mirroring her; the two young girls were gauging each other, trying to decide who would move first. Ruby made the first real move as she leapt forward with a lunge to Pyrrha's core, which was promptly parried and returned with a counter strike. Ruby herself blocked the counter and jumped back to avoid another strike.

"That was good," she said to the red head. "When Jaune parries that he leaves himself wide open. I couldn't avoid that if I tried."

"Thank you," Pyrrha said with a smile. "You're strike was quite fast. I almost didn't have enough time to react." Her eyes narrowed. "No more commentary, Ruby. Concentrate."

"Right!" Steadying her left hand for another strike, she lunged. Another parry, another counter, and that counter was parried and countered as well. The two girls seemed to be evenly matched for what felt like ages to Ruby. She blocked another of Pyrrha's counters and lunged again. Pyrrha parried it and went for an offensive strike, lunging her spear straight into Ruby's core. Seeing it coming, Ruby used her agility and limber nature to twist and contort her frame to dodge out of the way, just as she did to Jaune earlier in the morning. _Jackpot!_ she thought as she prepared to twist her blade into Pyrrha's back.

The next thing she knew she felt the shaft of the spear slam into her torso, knocking the wind out of her and pushing her to the ground. When she looked up she saw the blunt edge of the spear was up against her throat. "Dead," Pyrrha said with a polite smile. "You give up?"

Ruby's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Y-yeah. You win."

"Sorry about that," Pyrrha said as she pulled the spear away and offered Ruby a helping hand to stand up. "I wasn't expecting you to be so flexible. I reacted as best I could."

"I-I should be the one saying that. I wasn't expecting you to be so fast!" She giggled as she stood up with Pyrrha's help. "I see what Alchemy was saying now. I gotta be careful about that."

"Still, it's quite good. If you can get a little faster, I'd imagine you give a lot of fighters a run for their money."

"Thanks. You're amazing. Like, the _best_!"

Vincent and Orpheus both began to clap happily. "Well done, girls," Vincent said with a smile.

"Very well done, indeed," Orpheus smiled. "It's been some time since someone actually gave my Pyrrha a challenge."

"F-father!" Pyrrha said, shocked.

"Uh oh," Jaune muttered.

"Uh...hello," Ruby said nervously.

"No need to be worried, children," Orpheus assured. "We were merely spectating. And we enjoyed it."

Vincent nodded. "You're certainly improving, Ruby. I'm proud of you. I'm sure Jaune will be safe in your hands."

"So...you're not mad at us?" Jaune asked cautiously.

"Do I look like Noel?" Ruby laughed as Vincent said the words as seriously as possible. "No, you're all fine. We just came to tell you that dinner will be ready soon. And that we have something we'd like to discuss."

"We'll be there shortly, father," Jaune said with a polite bow.

* * *

Dinner was served, and Orpheus and Vincent dropped the bombshell. Jaune and Pyrrha sat blushing and shocked across from each other, while Ruby sat next to Jaune and simply said, "Woah."

"So...this is official?"

"Not yet. Just a verbal agreement at the moment. We'll get the documentation sorted out tonight, or perhaps the morning," Orpheus said with a smile. "I hope this isn't too much for the two of you."

"N-no," Pyrrha said nervously. "Just... _sudden_. We barely know each other, after all."

"That's the way of these things," Vincent said with a smile. "We wanted you two to meet before we made the final decision. It seems like you get along just fine, so I'm sure everything will be okay."

Ruby covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Sh-shut up, Ruby! This is serious!" Jaune whispered.

"I know," Ruby whispered back. "It's just too much at once. I can't help myself."

"I hope the two of you will grow to be even closer," Vincent said with a smile. "When you are both of age, Jaune, Pyrrha, you will be married and the Spring and Autumn Courts will fuse into a single entity."

"Congratulations," Orpheus said with a smile of his own. "The two of you are betrothed."

Jaune and Pyrrha met each other's gaze, and both of them blushed profusely.


	8. Part I: Chapter 7

Chapter VII: Freezing

 _January 7, 2007 5:24 PM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

Lord Vincent sat at his desk with his hands folded, sitting quietly as he stared at the email on his computer screen that was sent some two weeks ago by now. Alchemy and Noel stood in front of him waiting patiently. "We expected this," Vincent said under his breath. "To a degree, at least."

"Is he truly furious?" Alchemy asked.

"When Jacques sends a one sentence message, he's not happy." The email on his screen read only as ' _We're talking about this.'_ Below that was today's date; the Lord of the Winter Court, Jacques Schnee, was visiting today. And, unlike Orpheus' visit, this one was going to be an official meeting, most likely fueled by anger. Vincent sighed. "I had hoped that he'd understand the purpose of betrothing Jaune to Pyrrha."

Alchemy nodded. "He never did quite adjust after the war ended. He likely views it as a display of power and sees it as a threat to the security of the Winter Court."

"That's ridiculous!" Noel said hastily. "The Spring Court has always been an advocate for peace! _We're_ the ones who pushed for the cease fire all those years ago! Not to mention, all four courts were allies in the Hundred Year War! Why would he see this as a threat?"

Vincent shook his head. "Jacques never saw things quite the same as the rest of us. I had worried back then that Qrow and Tai Yang would be the hard ones to convince, but Jacques was the _last_ to agree to a peaceful resolution." He smiled, though it wasn't happy. "Qrow, Orpheus, and I had a very, _very_ strongly worded debate with him over that all those years ago. I'd hoped that we'd moved past such things."

"You were young during the war, Noel," Alchemy added. "You never saw just how horrible it was. All the courts were stuck in trenches for the first sixty years, and even after we finally pushed back and started to gain some ground we lost more soldiers than we could keep track of. Both sides did." He shook his head. "I still don't understand why Jacques was so against the ceasefire or the Pro-Faunus laws."

"He's stubborn," Vincent explained. "It's a deep seated hatred of the Faunus that he inherited from his father, who in turn gained it from _his_ father, and so on and so forth. The Faunus had every right to instigate that war, and they weren't the only ones who took it too far." He sighed. "He's likely to bring his eldest daughter along too."

"To teach her how to put her foot down and be as stubborn as he is, no doubt."

"You're not going to bring Jaune into the meeting, are you?" Noel asked.

Vincent nodded. "If Jacques lets Winter sit in, then I'll have to. He needs to learn how to handle such affairs if he's going to rule after me."

"But he's too young!"

"Shut up, Noel," Alchemy said with venom in his voice. "You've coddled those children far too much. We may be in peace time, but they're going to grow up and learn that the world isn't as sweet as castle life."

"He's right, Noel," Vincent agreed. "They'll be fine."

"S-so Miss Rose will also attend the meeting?"

"I haven't decided yet." Vincent took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

* * *

Ruby and Jaune were sitting in Jaune's room, waiting patiently. The two friends were both nervous and uncertain, and had already been dressed for the occasion; Jaune in his best suit, and Ruby in her finest Garde d'Arc uniform. "You nervous?" she asked as she tried to play a handheld video game; she couldn't focus on it.

"Y-yeah," Jaune answered as he fidgeted thoughtlessly with a small puzzle box, not even trying to solve it. "This is the first time father has told me to attend an official meeting. I don't really know how to take that."

"W-well, it's important for you to learn what your duties are as future lord of the Spring Court, you know. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"But it's the Winter Court, Ruby," he said as he tossed the unsolved puzzle box to the side and plopped down onto his bed. "Father's told me about how Lord Jacques Schnee is. He's got a short fuse."

"Is he upset because you and Pyrrha are betrothed?"

"I think so." He closed his eyes in thought and crossed his arms. "I'm not even sure how _I_ feel about that."

"D-don't be that way," Ruby tried to assure. "She's really nice, and she's pretty. I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Yeah, but how does _she_ feel about it? We didn't really have a choice, you know."

"Well, how old was your dad when he was promised to your mom?"

"I don't know. Fifteen maybe?"

"That turned out fine, right?"

"Yeah, I guess it did. I don't remember much about mom, but she always seemed happy." He shook his head. "But that's not Pyrrha and I. That's my parents. What if Pyrrha isn't happy with the arrangement? You already know how much of a disappointment I am. I can't even beat you in a friendly spar."

"That's just because you're gentle. You're really nice and loving, so you don't want to hurt anyone. I'm sure if things were serious I'd never beat you."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "You're just saying that."

"Well... _yeah_ , but that doesn't mean it can't be true." Ruby sighed. "Look, it can't be _that_ bad. Besides, this is great! It means you're growing up!" She smiled widely at him to emphasize her excitement.

"Yeah...I guess." He shrugged. "What about you though? Where do you fit into all this?"

"I'm your body guard, dummy. I'm not going _anywhere_ that you aren't." She tossed the mobile game onto the bed and scooted to sit next to Jaune where she wrapped her petite arms around his frame. "You'll never get rid of me."

"I don't know if that makes me happy or scared," he said with a laugh.

"Don't you worry your little head about it, Jaune. I'll be sure to escort the blushing bride down to aisle on his wedding day, with Pyrrha waiting for you at the end getting all teary eyed after she sees you dressed in white."

"Why am _I_ the bride in this scenario?"

"Semantics."

A knock came from the door. "Come in," Jaune said, and Ruby sat upright and stood, straightening her suit.

Noel entered and met their eyes. "It's time, young lord."

"Right." Let's go, Ruby."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Once again, just as back in November, Ruby and Jaune found themselves standing side by side next to Lord Vincent and Alchemy as they waited patiently in the entrance hall of the castle. "Still nervous?" Ruby asked.

"Of course," Jaune said in a hushed whisper.

"It'll be fine, son," Vincent said with a faint smile. "This is an important part of being a lord. Be sure to pay close attention both to Jacques and his daughter Winter. Winter will be the lady of the Winter Court after Jacques, so it's imperative that the two of you form at least some semblance of familiarity with one another. This will be the first time the two of meet, so first impressions are of the utmost importance."

"Yes, father."

"What about me?" Ruby asked.

"I'm sure Jacques will have a few members of the Frost Guard with him. Study them if you can. They will be studying you," Vincent instructed. "Much like how Alchemy is the head of the Garde d'Arc, I'm sure Jacques will bring Sir James."

"Wait, Sir James? As in _General_ James Ironwood?"

"The very same. I know you've read about him and his strategies in your studies."

"Now _I'm_ nervous." Vincent chuckled, though to Ruby is felt forced.

The doors opened, and a pair of maids bowed and held their arms open invitingly into the castle as a group entered following behind Noel. Dressed almost completely in white, Ruby noticed that out of the group four of them stood out. In the front were two men; one with bright white hair combed back neatly and a well kempt white mustache, the other with jet black hair and graying sides, and a clean shaved face. The white haired man's suit had a pale, sky blue tie with a white snowflake emblazoned upon it; the crest of House Schnee. Beside him but slightly behind was a young woman, and a girl about Jaune's age; both had the same bright white hair and sky blue accents, each wearing thick white coats to protect against the January cold outside. "I present the Lord Jacques Schnee, my lord," Noel said matter of factly. "In his company; Lady Winter Schnee, heir to the title of Lord of the Winter Court, Lady Weiss Schnee, and Sir James Ironwood, Knight of the Snows, and General of the Frost Guard."

Winter and Weiss both gave a curtsy, Sir James gave a polite bow, and Jacques simply nodded, his face expressionless to Ruby's eyes. "Your estate is as impressive as always, my old friend," Jacques said calmly. "How do you do it?"

"It's a lot of work, but we manage here," Vincent replied just as dryly. "It's good to see you again, Jacques."

"You as well, Vincent," he replied. "I'm sorry to jump straight to the point, but I'd very much like to begin our deliberation if that's okay with you."

"But of course. If you'll follow me to the sitting room, I'll have Noel pour us a brandy. Or do you prefer wine?"

"Brandy is fine," Jacques said plainly. "But, one thing before we begin."

"Yes?"

"My daughter, Weiss, _insisted_ on coming with us to the Spring Court, but I'm afraid she isn't quite ready for the responsibility of such a discussion. As one of my younger children, she's like as not to never hold the title of lord, so I don't want her involved."

Ruby looked over to Jaune curiously, who simply shook his head. _I don't know_ , he seemed to say.

"Is that so?"

"Might I request that you allow one of your staff to give her a tour of your estate? Or, perhaps your son?"

"I'm afraid I _do_ intend to involve Jaune in this discussion, so I must decline."

"What of her, then?" he asked, pointing to Ruby. "She's a member of your guard in training, correct?"

"Y-yes, that is correct."

"Splendid. I want her to keep an eye on Weiss for me while we talk."

Vincent seemed to hesitate for a moment before turning to Ruby. Ruby met his gaze and gave a small, barely noticeable nod. "Very well. Ruby, give the Lady Weiss a tour of the estate, and see to it that she is comfortable during her stay."

Ruby saluted. "Yes, my lord."

"Run along, Weiss," Jacques said. "The adults need to talk." Weiss opened her mouth as if to refute. "My word is _final_!"

She flinched. "Y-yes father." She gave a passing glance to her older sister, who only gave her an apologetic smile.

"Now, about that brandy."

"Right this way, Jacques."

* * *

"This is the castle's library," Ruby explained as the pair entered the room. They were still on the first floor. "We have a wide variety of books here, ranging from history to mathematics, as well as a handful of journals from previous lords. The more prominent of those are kept in Lord Vincent's office for his convenience."

"I see," Weiss said quietly. To Ruby, she seemed bored.

"Is everything okay, my lady?"

"Y-yes. I'm fine. Please, continue."

"Very well. If you'll follow me this way, I'll take you to the dining hall where we-"

"Um...Ruby, was it?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Is...is there anything more _interesting_ here?"

Ruby turned her head to the side, puzzled. "How do you mean?"

Weiss' eyes shifted nervously to the side, and Ruby noticed for the first time that she had a scar over her left eye. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to come off as demanding. I'm your guest, after all."

"Not at all. Lord Vincent told me to make you comfortable during your visit. If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

The white haired girl sighed. "Well, the whole reason I came was so I could learn just like my sister. I didn't expect father to ban me from the meeting."

"I'm sure that's okay," Ruby said, trying to reassure the young lady. "It's probably all stuffy and boring anyway." Her eyes went wide as she realized how informal she sounded. "I mean, uh, well..."

Weiss watched her in silence for a moment before a genuine smile crossed her lips, followed by a short giggle. "You're probably right, I suppose. I never did like how authoritive my father gets during such meetings. It's probably for the best."

"If it's any consolation, I didn't get to go either," Ruby pointed out.

"Yes, but aren't you a servant?"

"Hardly. I'm Jaune's best friend, training to be a knight and his personal body guard," Ruby said with a proud smile. "First female member of the Garde d'Arc in _generations_. It's kind of a big deal."

"Have you been knighted yet?" Weiss asked with a coy smile. Ruby was loving this change in the girl's attitude. She seemed so down only moments ago.

"Well...no, not yet. I don't know when I will be either. But I will be some day!"

"That must be nice," Weiss said with a smile, though it seemed sadder than before. "My sister and I have been trained in fencing, but it's more of a formality than proper combat training. Father won't even let me train with fire arms, where as my sister has."

"Well, I haven't hit that point myself just yet. They don't let the Garde d'Arc practice with guns until near the end of their training." She patted her long sword on her right hip lovingly. "But that's fine. I like this little guy well enough."

"Little?" Weiss said with a confused look. "That thing would break my rapier in two if we sparred."

"Well, a rapier isn't meant for offensive combat against heavier blades. Where a long sword and broad sword are about cutting and swiping, a rapier is more precise. I'd imagine you'd be more agile than me to get around the sheer force of my strikes." Ruby smiled. "Wanna try?"

Weiss' smile faded and she looked around nervously. "No, I'm afraid I can't. Father wouldn't approve."

Ruby thought about pressuring her, but the Lord Jacques' face flashed in her mind. "Y-yeah, that's probably for the best. He doesn't seem as laid back as Lord Vincent."

"He isn't laid back at all," Weiss confirmed.

"Well, I don't want you to be bored, Lady Schnee." Ruby looked around and a nearby window caught her attention. "Hey, it's snowing!"

Weiss glanced over and saw the snowfall. "Yes. It started shortly after our car pulled up. I guess it gets cold even here in the south."

"Is it always cold in the Winter Court?"

"Not always, but our snows are heavier in the winter time because we're so far north. I hear we have some good winter recreation, but Father would never allow us to partake."

"So...you've never played in the snow?"

"No," Weiss said flatly.

"Then that's it! Let's go build a snowman!"

"W-what?"

Ruby grabbed the white haired girl by the hand. "Trust me, it'll be fine."

"B-but father..."

"It isn't sparring. And, if anyone asks I'll just tell them that you wanted to see what our garden looks like."

Weiss chuckled. "A tour of a garden in the middle of a snow flurry...no one would buy that excuse."

Ruby laughed as well. "Well, do you have any better ideas?"

Weiss thought for a moment before smiling brightly. "No, I don't."

Ruby became lost in that smile for a moment before she returned to her senses.


	9. Part I: Chapter 8

Chapter VIII: Winter Bloom

 _January 7, 2007 6:00 PM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

"Do you have _any_ idea what you've done, Vincent!?" Jacques shouted , slamming his fist into the mahogany table that he was seated at. James and Winter were both in standing positions behind his chair quietly, listening intently. "The Old Kingdom split _centuries_ ago for a _reason_! It was too large, and the monarchy couldn't hold it together! The four courts rebelled and formed into what we have today! Are you trying to return to a broken system of rule that failed the people of this continent?"

Vincent calmly sipped at his brandy, Jaune and Alchemy standing similarly behind him. Setting his glass down softly, Vincent spoke. "The Old Kingdom broke because of its king, not because it was a failed system. But I'm not here to talk about what form of rule does and does not work. Orpheus and I came to this agreement because we felt it's time for a new nation. The world changed for the worse when the Hundred Year War began, and it changed for the better when it ended. We want to keep the momentum and change for the better, just as we did all those years ago."

"And _how_ did the world change for the better? We ended a war before it was won, and then we _invited_ the enemy to live within our borders!" He took a deep swig of his own brandy and caught his breath. "You've gone power hungry. By marrying your son to the Nikos girl, you've ensured that _your_ family line will rule this new nation. A nation that, might I add, will be twice as big as any of the courts are alone! If you think _I'm_ furious about this obvious display of expansion, you should see how Qrow feels!"

"While I respect and value Qrow's opinion, he _isn't_ the true leader of the Summer Court. He's a regent. He _has_ no lasting deciding power. He never wanted it to begin with. When his niece turns eighteen, she will take control of the Summer Court."

"So you intend to weasel your way into her favor then? Do you intend to take the Summer court from a fresh, young lord who has no experience before she even has a chance to do her people any good?"

"No!" Vincent shouted as he stood, causing Jaune to flinch; he'd never seen his father angry before. "I intend to explain the situation to her in detail, just as I have to _you_ , Jacques. It's up to you and young Yang Xiao Long Branwen if you want the Winter and Summer courts to fuse with us. She can make that choice on her own, and she'll have Qrow and her father there to advise her decision. I will hold no influence over her!"

Matching Vincent, Jacques stood. "You did this knowing that Qrow and I can't make similar decisions. You're the only one with a son who will hold any real power!"

"You have a son too, Jacques. There's nothing stopping you from arranging to have him wed Yang."

"Ha! A son, indeed. The third child, Vincent. He will hold no power."

"That's what Qrow thought, too. But he's in charge of the Summer Court even as we speak."

"You've already pointed out that his rule is temporary. He'll step down when Raven's daughter is old enough."

"And you know Orpheus and I can't complete this arranged marriage until our children are old enough. It's not happening over night. They're _fourteen_ , for God's sake, Jacques!"

"Indeed they are!" the white haired man agreed. "You, Arc boy, how do _you_ feel about this situation?"

Jaune hesitated. "Uh...me?"

"Yes you, boy!"

"It's okay, son. You can answer honestly. I know you have your doubts," Vincent urged.

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Jacques egged on.

Jaune cleared his throat, and he felt Winter's piercing gaze upon him. Swallowing, he began to speak. "I'll admit, it was a bit of a shock. To both of us. Neither Pyrrha or I were prepared for it in the least. The concept will take some getting used to, of course, and I do have my doubts as to whether or not we'll be a good match for each other."

"See? Do you see, Vincent?"

"M-my lord, I haven't finished."

Jacques crossed his arms as he sat back down."Hmph!"

"As odd and sudden as this all is to me, and I'm sure Pyrrha feels the same way, if it could help in the long run to unify our people and usher in a new sort of peace, then I'm behind it. We won't know for certain unless we try, Lord Jacques."

Jacques finished the last of his brandy, and Noel quickly stepped forward to refill his glass. "You've corrupted your son, Vincent. If this backfires in your face, I hope you know that I'll be the first to tell you _I told you so_."

Vincent, still standing, glared at the Schnee lord. "What is it that you _expect_ out of this situation, Jacques? Just how negative is your view in all this?"

"The Faunus will see this as a new form of oppression. They'll jump at the chance to revolt again. You've heard the reports out of Menagerie, right?" The ruling family had to _flee_ after the end of the Hundred Year War. House Belladonna is broken, probably dead by now. The current ruler, one Sienna Khan, only achieved her power by _killing_ the previous ruler. She's rallying Faunus support for another war. I know it."

"The previous ruler was corrupt, Jacques. It was nothing more than a revolution. Loathe as I am to admit it, sometimes to only path to a brighter future is to stain one's hands with blood. I for one am _proud_ of this Sienna Khan. She sullied her own hands, and didn't order one of her followers to do it herself. To me, that speaks _volumes_ to her character."

"The courts cannot survive another Hundred Year War, Vincent. That was the _only_ reason that I agreed to the cease fire. I have my people to worry about. If a flawless victory had been assured, you can bet that I'd have ordered Ironwood and his troops straight into the Menagerie capital to snuff out the last wisps of rebellion from those animals." He sipped at his newly filled brandy glass. "I'm doing as I've _always_ done; I'm looking out for what's best for the Winter Court."

Vincent's eyes narrowed. "The last time I checked, Jacques, you're a regent as well, just like Qrow. You married into the Schnee house, and only assumed power after your wife passed." He turned to Winter. "How old are you, my lady."

"Seventeen, my lord," she answered.

"Then it seems I'm wasting my breath with one whose time is almost up. What do you think, Lady Winter?"

"How _dare_ you use the death of my wife in your argument!" Jacques shouted as he stood once more.

"A terrible loss, to be sure, Jacques. I'm no stranger to it. I've lost my wife as well, so do not misunderstand me. But you have less than a year before Winter takes power. Or do you intend to usurp the lordship from its rightful owner?" The two men stared, but Jacques never answered. "I thought not. That's why you brought Winter with you; to give her a taste of what she'll be doing full time very shortly."

"This is ridiculous," Jacques said. He sat back down and turned to face his daughter. "Very well. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right; this _should_ be your decision to make. Whatever you decide, Winter, I'll enforce until you take over in my stead."

"Even if I rule against you?" she asked, and Vincent smiled. _She's a smart one,_ he thought.

Jacques' face grew more and more red with anger before he sighed and lowered his head. "Yes. Even if I don't agree with it."

Winter smiled and gave a Sir Ironwood a passing glance; the general, for all his intimidating presence, gave her a loving smile and nodded. Winter stepped forward and began to address Vincent directly. "Give me all the details that you and Orpheus have laid out for this plan of yours."

Vincent breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down. "Of course...Lady Winter."

* * *

Though it was still somewhat early, the sun had set close to an hour ago. The two girls were bundled up in their winter coats, warm hats, and gloves, and Ruby was instructing Weiss on how to properly build a snowman in the light of the outdoor lamp posts. "You start with a snowball, and your keep rolling it to be bigger and bigger until you have the base. And then you repeat that a couple of times, each piece smaller than the last until you're done. It's that simple!" She had already finished the base while she was explaining, motioning for Weiss to pitch in for the rest.

The white haired girl was all too happy to oblige as she began to roll up the snow on her hands. To her surprise, it wasn't as easy as Ruby had made it out to be as the snow crumbled and fell away in her grasp. "O-oh," she said. "That's no good. Let me try again." Taking up another handful of snow she attempted a second time, only to achieve the same result. "Ah!"

Ruby giggled. "You're using too much force, Lady Schnee. Here, like this." Taking the older girl's hands into her own, she began to show her step by step how to form a snowball. Weiss couldn't avoid the blush that spread across her face. "Hm? Are you okay, Lady Schnee? Is it too cold"

"Weiss," she answered.

"Hm?"

"Just call me Weiss. I think I'd prefer that."

"S-sure," Ruby stuttered, a blush of her own forming. "I would say you could just call me Ruby, but I don't really have a title to drop."

"Then, how about this; when you become knighted, I can keep calling you Ruby while everyone else calls you Sir Ruby. Deal?"

Ruby looked up and met Weiss' ice blue eyes. "Y-yeah! You got a deal." She looked back at their hands, revealing a small snowball. "Ta-dah! See? It's not so hard."

"You're right. I was overcomplicating it."

Carefully, the two continued to work until they completed the snowman. Ruby crossed her arms and held her head proudly. "Ah, all in a day's work. What do you think, Weiss? Blagh!?" She turned to face Weiss, only to get pelted in the face with a snowball, causing her to stumble backwards.

Weiss laughed profusely. "I'd heard that there's a game called a _snowball fight_ ," she stated with a grin. "Think you can beat me?"

"Oh ho ho!" Ruby replied with a competitive grin. "So the little princess wants to spar after all! You asked for it!" Grabbing a fist full of snow, she prepared for her counter attack, and Weiss ran away a short distance to prepare her own arsenal.

"Just ask my sister or my brother," Weiss said. "I _hate_ to lose!"

"That's a shame, because I _love_ to win!"

* * *

"That's the gist of it," Vincent finished. "Assuming it all works out as planned, it'll boost public morale and encourage a prolonged peace between our peoples, _including_ the Faunus."

"I see," Winter said.

"You're a fool if you think it'll work," Jacques said coldly.

"I'm not so sure," Alchemy chimed in. "It is a solid strategy. Additionally, knowing the tendency for the Winter and Summer courts to butt heads, our two territories combined will create a political boundary that can't be crossed without approval. Same goes for any potential uprising from the remnants of Menagerie, which lies further south than the Summer court."

"That's _insulting_ to Qrow and I!"

"But it is a valid point, my lord," James added. "You pretend to be friends with Qrow, but this isn't the public eye we're talking about this in. Everyone present knows that the two of you don't exactly get along. And, if the Summer Court were to agree to merge, then the resulting nation would look far more intimidating to any Faunus incursion, should they feel so inclined to start another war. Separate we're but independent states that at face value don't appear to be threatening. Under a single banner, _any_ potential enemy nation would think twice before invading." He turned and nodded to Vincent. "You've clearly put more thought into this than you've led us to believe, Lord Vincent." Vincent merely smiled in response.

"Agreed," Winter said with a smile. "I've come to a decision, Lord Vincent."

"I'll happily hear it, Lady Winter."

"The Winter Court will _not_ merge. We, at present, have no need for the extra natural and political defenses. But we will _endorse_ this merging of the Autumn and Spring courts."

"Winter!" Jacques shouted.

"And, on the day that Lord Jaune and Lady Pyrrha are to be wed, I will be present to show my support and assist in the transition."

"You can't be serious!"

"That is my decision." She turned and faced her father. "They aren't going to be married for four more years, father. I officially take your place as lord in August of this year. One way, or another, this is my decision."

"You gave your word, Jacques," Vincent said, not bothering to hide his smile.

"Tch," Jacques downed his second brandy. "Very well. I concede defeat." He gave Vincent a glare. "But, I'll also keep my _other_ promise. If this comes back to bite you in the ass, and trust me, Vincent, it will, I will be there. And when you ask me for help, I will tell you _no_."

"By then, it won't be up to you anyway," Winter said.

"Betrayed by my own blood," he muttered.

"It'll work, Jacques," Vincent assured. "This peace will last. There won't be another Hundred Year War."

Jacques stood. "You had best hope that I'm wrong, Vincent, just as I hope that you're _right_." He turned and made for the door. "Winter, James; we're leaving!"

"Yes father," Winter said with a smile."

"Where in the hell is Weiss?"

* * *

The battle raged on as Ruby and Weiss stared each other down on the snow covered battlefield, both short of breath and tired. "Give up yet?" Ruby asked.

"Not on a million years!" Weiss retaliated as she threw another snowball.

Ruby dodged and threw one of her own. "Your throwing arm is getting tired, Weiss!"

"So is yours!" Weiss shouted as she dodged. "But I have a secret that you don't know!"

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I'm not right handed!" Switching to her left hand she threw the next snowball as hard as she could.

Ruby didn't have time to dodge as it pelted her straight in the face. "Gah! My eye!" she shouted as she fell backwards into the snow.

Weiss gasped. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She ran over to check on Ruby. "Are you okay? Can you see?"

A pair of gloved hands grabbed Weiss' waste. "Psyche!" With all he might, Ruby rolled and forced Weiss into the ground eliciting a shocked yelp from the older girl. The two tumbled around in the snow, wrestling for dominance as they went. After a few moments the two of them stopped rolling and lay side by side in the snow, giggling uncontrollably as they tried to catch their breath. "See," Ruby said after a time. "You can have fun if you just try."

"Yeah," Weiss said. "This was a lot of fun. Thank you, Ruby."

"Nah, it was nothing. Glad I could be of service, my lady," she said with a giggle. "You're pretty fun yourself, Weiss. Jaune and I don't get to do stuff like that all that often anymore."

"Our lives are getting more complicated as we get older. Sometimes I wish I'd been born a commoner."

"Maybe I'm biased, but being a commoner isn't all that great. I can't complain about how my life turned out." She looked over at Weiss, who was also looking at her. "If I were still living on the streets, I'd never had the chance to meet Jaune and Pyrrha. Or you."

"That's true. And I'd never been able to meet you like this and just play. I guess being nobility isn't _too_ bad." Weiss stared at Ruby for what felt like ages. "You have pretty eyes."

Ruby blushed. "T-thanks. I think yours are prettier, though."

"Please, blue is as common as it comes. _Silver_ , now that's special. The color of expensive jewelry and dinner ware. There's _value_ in your eyes." She looked up and stared at the moon above as it reached its zenith in the sky. "And it reminds me of the moon. Value _and_ beauty."

"Ha ha," Ruby laughed nervously. "I don't know about _beauty_."

"No, really," Weiss assured as she turned back towards Ruby. "I can see boys lined out of the castle gates _wishing_ that they could look into those eyes of yours."

"Well, I _really_ doubt that. No boy could ever win my heart." She blushed even harder. "I-I mean, well..."

Weiss smiled. "So, you're just like me then."

"Ibegyourpardon?" Ruby spat out rapidly.

"Father wants me to marry some arbitrary noble's son every other week, but I always turn them down. None of them are what I want."

"Th-then what would you want, Weiss?"

Weiss blushed. "Someone like you, perhaps?"

"Awawawawa."

Weiss giggled. "I'm just as surprised to hear me say that as you are, Ruby."

"B-but, you're a lady. You're so pretty, and smart, and fun...a girl like me can't hold a candle to that."

"Know what I think?"

"Hm?"

Weiss smiled. "I think-"

"Weiss Schnee!" shouted the voice of Jacques, and both girls bolted straight to their feet. "What are you _doing_ laying around in the snow?"

"N-nothing, father. Ruby was just showing me the garden."

"Lovely view from the _ground_ I imagine. Look at you, you've made your coat filthy!"

"S-sorry, father," Weiss said dejectedly. "I-is the meeting over?"

"Yes. We're leaving. We're getting on the plane and going home right now. Come!" He turned to walk away. "I swear, I barely know my own children anymore," he muttered as he passed Winter.

Winter smiled and approached Weiss, giving her a brief hug. "S-so, it wasn't all that bad?"

"Let's just say I pulled one over on father for once," Winter said with a wink. She turned to Ruby and gave a polite bow. "Thank you for taking care of my sister. It looks like the two of you had fun."

"N-no problem. I mean, of course, my lady. It was no trouble," Ruby stammered.

"I'm sure we'll meet again very soon," Winter said. "Come along, Weiss. Let's not make father wait _too_ long."

"Right." She turned to Ruby. "It was nice meeting you, Ruby."

Ruby nodded. "You too, Weiss. Have a safe trip." The sisters walked away and got into the waiting car with their father before driving off, leaving Ruby alone in the garden. Taking a moment to collect herself, she turned and re-entered the castle only to come face to face with Jaune who stared at her with a wide smile. "Hey. How was it?"

"I saw that," Jaune said, still smiling.

"S-saw what?"

"So, she's your type?"

"Oh, don't you start!"

"Think you have a chance?" Jaune teased, drawing a blush from Ruby. "Come on, you can tell your big brother."

"Uh...well...I...I might, actually." Ruby dropped her head to hide her embarrassment, but her smile was as wide as ever.

PART I: The Lord and the Rose [END]


	10. Prologue II

Prologue II: The Smoking Gun

 _August 14, 2016 8:34 PM Vale Standard Time (VDT)_

"You're sure your informant said he was here?" asked one of the policemen in his squad as they made their way up the stairs. "It's just an average office building, with at least thirty different companies fixated within. Why would he be here?"

Detective Sun Wukong rolled his eyes, trying to hide how nervous he was. "You idiot," he muttered. "It's one of the tallest buildings in Vale. If _all this_ ," he gestured in the direction of the fighting; flashes of light erupted in the early night sky as explosions flared at the battlefield just outside of town. "Is really _his_ fault, then he'd want a high seat with which to watch the show. He's here. She hasn't lied to me so far. She doesn't have a reason to start now."

They reached the floor that was described in the text message he'd received from her. _They're up here somewhere._ "Be careful," he whispered. "Adam Taurus is to be considered armed and dangerous."

"Yes sir," several of the police affirmed. He motioned for three of them to take point as they listened through the various doors.

"Sir," one of the three whispered as quietly as he could. "I hear something."

The officer placed his ear to the door. _"It's not what_ _ **anyone**_ _wanted,"_ came a female voice, followed by the gentle and low sound of a metal mechanism that made the officer's blood freeze.

 _"Blake?"_ came a man's voice, followed by a gunshot.

Without hesitation the officer kicked the door down, gun at the ready.

He fired his weapon before he had a chance to think.


	11. Part II: Chapter I

Part II: The Bull and the Cat Chapter I: Exile

 _July 5, 1997 12:34 PM Menagerie Standard Time (2:34 VST)_

"Blake, honey, we have to go," her father said to her hurriedly as he scooped her up in his arms. "Kali, take only what we need We're leaving."

Her mother's face looked worried, and she couldn't understand why. "Ghira, what's happening? What's going on in town?"

"Sienna's trying to buy us some time to escape. Kojima's staging a coup for control over Menagerie. There's nothing we can do."

"What about the White Fang? Why aren't they defending us?"

"Only a small number of them are still loyal, it seems. They blame us for the treaty. Sienna has the loyal soldiers under her command. There's no time, we have to go _now_!"

Her mother nodded and quickly packed a few sets of clothes and a small amount of money into a bag as she shouldered it. "Ready."

"Usagi has a boat ready for us. It's not far, but we'll have to make haste through the city." He looked at Blake and smiled. "Cover your eyes and ears, honey. We'll be out of here soon."

"Where are we going, daddy?" she asked, scared.

"Where can we go, Ghira?" Kali asked.

"To Vale. Lord Vincent has a safe house set aside for us. It's already been arranged," he explained. "Hurry!" Kicking open his own front door, the three of them rushed out into the front yard. The town was smoking and on fire, gunshots echoed off of the buildings, and Sienna's small force of loyal White Fang troops fought against the revolters.

Sienna herself approached rapidly. "My lord!" she shouted. "We're outnumbered, they're pushing too hard. We need to get you and your family to safety."

"Do you have an exit route?" Kali asked.

"My best troops have secured a small opening, but I can't promise it'll stay that way for long. Follow me!" With a pistol in her right hand and a long dagger in her left, she led the charge as the Belladonna's followed close behind.

Blake, disobeying what Ghira had said, looked around wide eyed and terrified. On the top of a nearby building she saw the Belladonna banner in flames, burning inch by inch as the ash fell to the ground. "What's going on?" she asked, scared.

"Don't look, sweetie," Ghira repeated. "How much further, Sienna?"

"We'll have to duck through the alley here. Stay close!" she commented as she made a right. Ghira with Blake, and Kali right beside him, all followed, and all four of them froze as they saw two of Sienna's loyal soldiers fall to the ground, four rebelling troops standing over the bodies. "Damn it."

"Ghira," Kali said, nervously.

"Take Blake!" Ghira commanded, handing the small girl to his wife as he drew a pistol of his own. "Push through, Sienna."

Without a word, the two of them took aim while Kali ducked behind a wall, and the ensuing gunshots startled her and Blake. Four death cries were heard, but Kali's heart sank when she heard Sienna cry out as well. "Gyah!" she shouted, and the rattling of metal on stone echoed as she dropped her dagger.

"Sienna!" Ghira and Kali shouted in unison.

"I'm fine!" she shouted back. "Son of a bitch grazed my arm. I'll be fine." Reloading her pistol, she gave the family a nod as she ignored the blood streaming down her bicep. "Not much further. Come on!" Continuing their escape, they emerged with minimal encounters before approaching the beach where a small troop of White Fang loyalists waited with two rowboats. "Get in a boat, my lord! Quick! There's a Vale ship half a mile up the coast waiting for you!" Taking aim, she faced the city waiting for another attack.

"What about you, Sienna?" Kali asked as she sat Blake in the boat.

"My men and I will take the second boat. There's a ship from the Summer Court waiting for us in the opposite direction." She turned and smiled to Ghira. "You've got some powerful friends, sir."

"We knew this might happen," Ghira said sadly. He put a hand on Sienna's uninjured shoulder. "Just use my name from now on, Sienna. My given name."

"Sir?"

"I'm not the lord of Menagerie anymore. I am Ghira Belladonna; a common man now."

"B-but sir! Who will take Menagerie back from Kojima? He's sure to instigate another war."

"My time as lord has passed. Kojima's bravery reflects the opinion of the people, I'm afraid. But you are still viewed in high esteem, Sienna. When the time is right, _you_ be the lord of Menagerie."

"S-sir! I'm just a soldier! I couldn't possibly-"

"You're a soldier, yes, but a soldier who fights for the sake of her people. The other Faunus still look up to you. In time, you can make them see that the treaty with the courts was the right thing to do. I believe in you." He nodded. "And thank you for getting my family out safely. I couldn't have done it without you."

One of the soldiers turned to face them. "You mean to say that you're abandoning us, sir?"

"No," Ghira said with a smile. "I'm leaving and taking our bloody past with me. Sienna will take up my mantle and help maintain this peace that we've fought so hard for."

"Sir," Sienna said. "Taking Menagerie back from Kojima won't be easy."

"He's a sly fox, I know, but you're much more cunning. I wish you luck, Lady Sienna." He stepped onto the boat and joined his family. "The Belladonna family died today, Lady Sienna. Martyr us for our people. Remind them what it is that we truly fought for." Pushing with all of his might, Ghira began to row the boat away from the beach.

A single tear streamed down Sienna's face, and she saluted. "Thank you for everything, Ghira!" She turned to the soldiers. "Everyone in the boat. We've got our own coup to plan."

"Yes, ma'am!" they all shouted.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note  
**_

Whew. I know I updated _a lot_ in the last few hours, but I finally found the time to sit down and finish _all of these chapters_. Part I is done, and now we're kicking off with Part II! Future updates won't be as fast as these have been (given that I released like 6-7 chapters in 3-4 days), but they'll for sure be more frequent than they used to be.

We'll be following Blake as she and her family live in exile from Menagerie, dead to the world as far as anyone is concerned. Also, this is the first chapter to take place pre-2001, so that's cool. Welcome to the 90s!

Till Next Time~!


	12. Part II: Chapter 2

Chapter II: Adaptation

 _April 26, 2006 2:25 PM Vale Standard Time (VST)_

"Enjoy your four day weekend," the teacher shouted to drown out the sound of the release bell. "And remember, you're essays on _The_ _One Hundred Year War_ are due on May 1st; that's _next_ Monday!" The students, naturally, barely paid any mind as they all clambered to grab their belongings and leave the grounds. To celebrate the end of the Hundred Year War the students of the Vale School District were always given two days off; the day of the final battle, April 27th, and the day of the signing of the treaty, April 28th. This year, to their delight, these days happened to land on a Thursday and a Friday, giving them a four day weekend. As such, the room was emptied faster than usual.

Blake Belladonna, now thirteen and only a few months away from her fourteenth birthday, was nose deep into a new novel yet again, completely oblivious to the bell that had rung. "Blake!" came a male voice, breaking her trance. She looked up and met the face of her closest friend; Adam Taurus. His hair and eyes were both a deep crimson, and growing out of his head was a pair of bull horns; like her, he was a Faunus.

"Hm?" she asked absentmindedly, slowly placing her bookmark to keep her page.

"You up to hang out during the weekend?" he asked with a broad smile. "There's a movie premiering this Saturday that I really want to see. It looks like it's going to be great!"

"It's not _Superman Returns_ is it? Because, honestly, it looks awful," Blake said dryly with a slight smirk on her face.

"It won't be _that_ bad," Adam assured. "Come on, what do you say?"

Blake smiled and shook her head. "Sorry. My parents want me to stay home this year. I think we have a family reunion or something. I'm not sure."

Adam shrugged, hiding his dejectedness. "Oh well. I'll be sure to tell you _all about_ how wrong you are about the movie on Monday, then!"

"Just don't forget to do your homework," Blake jabbed. "You can't copy me this time, or we'll _both_ fail."

"Yeah, yeah." he said with a wave. "Have fun with your family, Blake!"

"You too, Adam," she said with a wave as he left.

The teacher, Ms. Gale, sighed as she approached. "I just don't see how you two became friends, honey," she said sincerely. "You're just so quiet and well behaved, and he's..."

"Adam."

"Yes. That's really the best way to describe him. Adam is Adam."

Blake giggled. "Tautology at its finest."

"And there you go again. How does a thirteen-year-old even know what tautology is?"

"I like to read," Blake deadpanned with a slight smile.

"I know, honey. I'd honestly be getting onto you for doing it during my class if you didn't have such high grades."

Blake stood as Ms. Gale spoke, packing away her school supplies and various books into her backpack. "I can remember everything I read after reading it just once, so it's not that hard to keep up," she said with a shrug.

Ms. Gale smiled. "Well, tell your family I said hello for me. See you next week, dear."

"Will do. Have a good break, Ms. Gale."

Shouldering her backpack, Blake left the classroom and eventually made her way to the streets of Vale. The nightmarish memory of fleeing her childhood home seemed like a distant haze as she'd grown accustomed to living among humans in the Spring Court. The capital city, Vale, was a far cry from the Menagerie that she saw in her memories. While Menagerie was no small settlement, she remembered thinking that Vale looked like a jungle made out of concrete and steel the first time she laid eyes upon it.

At first the transition was difficult, as it had only been a short eight years since the end of the Hundred Year War. This meant that the Faunus population outside of Menagerie was scarce and unwelcome in most of the other nations, especially the Four Courts, and Blake spent the first two years in the Vale School District completely alone and ostracized by her human classmates. It wasn't until the end of 1999 that other Faunus families began to move into the city proper, and that was the year that she met Adam. Brash, tactless, impulsive, and more stubborn than his namesake, Blake was amazed that she'd become such close friends with the boy. But it wasn't a secret by any means. They'd met as classmates in August of '99, but it wasn't until the turn of the millennium that they actually spoke for the first time.

Blake was being bullied by a group of older human boys. Being only seven, nearly eight-years-old, at the time she wasn't sure how to handle it. Out of seemingly nowhere Adam popped up and walked right up to the largest of the boys. In hindsight, perhaps breaking the older boy's nose _wasn't_ the best course of action, but it meant the world to Blake; Adam's actions came from sincere concern from the heart. Truthfully, she'd have preferred going to the movie with Adam today. But she wasn't lying when she said that her family wanted her home. She also spoke the truth when she said that she didn't know _why_ she was told to come straight home.

Shrugging to herself, she pushed the thought aside. _I'll find out soon enough_. Twenty minutes passed as she walked the busy streets before she finally arrived home. Back in Menagerie her family had been wealthy and powerful, easily living in the largest home in the city. Now? She wasn't poor, nor did she go without, but she still felt that it was odd that her father opted for a tremendously smaller home to make their new lives in. Supposedly they don't even have to pay for anything according to her mother, Kali, as the Lord Vincent Arc voluntarily covered all of their expenses. Yet, her father's pride couldn't be satiated and he landed a job in construction nearby, seemingly ignoring the income provided by the lord, but also unable to return it since Lord Vincent just sends it right back every single time. Her father's pride wasn't a bad thing, however. She had the privilege of visiting one his work sites once, and she distinctly remembered laughing at the sight of Ghira single handedly carrying a small I-beam while the other workers looked on in shock.

As she approached the front door her gaze drifted to the driveway that rested adjacent to the house, and she noticed a black luxury car sitting idly that she just barely recognized; it had been _years_ since Lord Vincent had personally visited her family. _What's going on?_ she thought to herself as she opened the door.

"Mom, dad, I'm home!" she shouted casually as she slipped her shoes off and placed them on a nearby rack.

"Welcome home," Kali greeted, standing expectantly in the entryway. "Come into the sitting room, Blake. We have company."

"I saw that. What's the Spring Lord doing here?"

"We honestly don't know," her mother admitted. "He sent us a letter Monday morning that explained that he had something important to tell us today, but refuses to say what until you got home from school."

"Okay." The two feline Faunus made their way to the sitting room where Ghira and Vincent seated across from one another having a pleasant conversation about family and shared interests. This would have been a good sign in Blake's mind, except for the fact that Vincent's escort, the man named Alchemy, stood nearby with a serious look on his face. _What's happened?_

"Bless that girl, though, she's worked so _very_ hard to get where she is today. She's supposed to grow up and be Jaune's personal bodyguard, just as Alchemy is to me, but I'll be damned if she isn't the most _mischievous_ little girl I've ever known. Jaune's been a big brother to her since we took her in, and he still can't figure out how to deal with her!" Vincent said, erupting into a hearty laugh.

Ghira chuckled in kind. "I must admit, my old friend, I'm quite impressed. Your generosity knows no bounds. How have I not heard that you'd adopted this girl? What did you say her name was? Ruby?"

"Well," Vincent answered sheepishly. "Unlike Jacques and, to an extent Oprheus, I don't much care for the limelight. I try to keep my personal affairs as private as possible."

"Smart thing, that. I remember how hard it was to keep _anything_ private when I was younger. Why, when I asked Kali to marry me it ended up turning into a _huge_ scandal. I was the first Belladonna in generations to choose my own wife after all."

"I'd wish I'd had a chance to hear _that_ rumormill," Vincent said with a sad smile. "War somehow made news travel _slower_ than normal across borders. Especially considering we were enemies."

" _Technically_ enemies. Only on paper. It was only due to your persistence that we managed to come to a peaceful agreement."

"I disagree. You were a wiser lord than you give yourself credit for."

"And yet, here I am; building the world one brick at a time as a ghost. The whole planet thinks that my family is dead, and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't miss the lordship."

"Perks of the commonness of the name _Belladonna_ I'd imagine."

"Indeed," Ghira said with a similarly sad smile before he noticed Blake and Kali. "Ah, my lord, you remember my daughter, Blake?"

Vincent stood and slowly approached Blake with a happy smile on his face. "My goodness, _you're_ Blake? You've grown so much! Why, the last time I saw you was when you were barely taller than this!" To emphasize, he placed his hand at his right hip. "I hate to say this out loud, Ghira, but it's a blessing that she resembles her mother. But, watch out, Kali; she may grow up to be even more beautiful than you as well." Blake blushed. _Why do adults talk like this? It's embarressing._

Kali laughed. "One would hope so."

"I'd bet you've got boys lined up out the door to try and win you over, Blake."

"Ha!" Ghira coughed a hearty laugh. "I'm afraid not, my lord. Adam won't allow it. He's too protective of her."

"Adam? So, there _is_ a boy for you!"

"N-no!" Blake stammered. "We're just friends. He beat up my bullies for me when we were small and we've just been looking out for each other."

"Ah," Vincent sighed. "Well, that's just fine too. Jaune and Ruby are pretty much going to always be best friends, I'm sure. Nothing more."

"Ahem," Alchemy interrupted. "I'm sorry, Lord Vincent, but the whole family is present. This matter is most pressing."

Vincent's expression darkened and became serious. "Right, right. Sorry." He sat back down, and Alchemy handed him a manila envelope. "What I'm about to tell you hasn't been made public yet. It won't be made public until tomorrow, but I felt that you and your family, Ghira, needed to know this first." Opening the envelope he pulled out a thick multi-page document and offered it to Ghira. "Skim the first couple of pages and tell me what you think."

Nodding, Ghira accepted it and began to read. Within seconds, his eyes went wide as he slowly lowered the document onto the table that rested between the two men. "This is true?" "As true as true gets. This could be what you need."

"What is it, dear?" Kali asked.

Ghira sighed, but then his lips formed into a gentle smile. "Kojima is dead. Menagerie has been liberated."

Kali gasped. "That's _great_ news! Why isn't this public yet?"

"Because," Vincent answered. "Our sources can't pinpoint where the remnants of his regime have run off too. We obviously have to tell the world that this tyrant is dead, but we run the risk of accidentally painting him as a martyr to some of the more extremist Faunus in the Courts. They may be leaderless, but they aren't finished. Now that their political foothold has fallen away we fear that they may turn to a more _extreme_ manner of self expression."

"You're forgetting the most important part of this document," Ghira pointed out. "Sienna is the one who killed him. She's taken over as Lady of Menagerie. The Faunus are in good hands."

"Sienna took over?" Blake asked. "That's a good thing, right?"

"No government leader can outright stop extremism and corruption. It will always exist in some form or another," Vincent explained. "Sienna may get the backing of the people, but she can't stop all of them from aiming to reclaim the lordship in the name of Kojima's ideals." Vincent shook his head. "I remember Kojima. We met during the signing of the treaty. He never said a word to me, or to any other human for that matter. I could see it on his face."

Ghira nodded. "He never saw the truce as a means to peace. He thought that it was a sign that the humans had won and the Faunus had given up. He blamed me for _losing_ a war that no one was capable of winning. That was 1989. He sat on that hatred for eight years, letting it fester as he slowly built up a means to start again, culminating into a coup d'état. I'm sure he'd have eventually broken the treaty and started the war all over again when he felt he was able to."

"This news will go public tomorrow," Vincent reiterated. "Ghira, not only as your protector but as your _friend_ , I would advise that you return to Menagerie and reclaim the lordship. If anyone can quell a potential uprising in the name of vengeance, it's you."

Ghira shook his head. "No. The time of Belladonna leadership has passed. There is nothing we can do to reclaim their loyalty. Kojima wasn't the only one to see me as a traitor."

Alchemy spoke up for the first time, saying, "I'm sure Sienna would welcome you back with open arms. She was your most loyal servant."

"I gave her explicit instructions upon my departure that Menagerie's fate was to be placed into _her_ hands, not mine!" Ghira shouted. "I will _not_ risk returning and sending my people plummeting into another downward spiral, not while there are those you believe me to be in the wrong! That's the sacrifice I've made. I willingly became the villain so that my people would someday know peace."

"But you don't have to be, dad," Blake said meekly. "You have a chance to make them see that you made the right choice. You should take it."

He shook his head again, locking eyes with Vincent. "Thank you, Vincent, for telling me this news. I believe this to be a good change for the Faunus. But I will not return and risk doing more harm than good. The life of a working class man suits me and my family better, I think."

Vincent opened his mouth, then promptly closed it with a gentle smile as he decided against arguing. "Of course, your life is yours to live as you see fit, my friend. I cannot and will not tell you otherwise." He stood and straightened his jacket. "Though you are no longer a lord, I can't help but still show you the proper respect," he added as he bowed. "Perhaps I should invite you into my home someday. I'm sure Jaune and Ruby would love to become friends with young Blake here."

Ghira chuckled. "Perhaps someday, friend. But not this day."

"No," Vincent agreed. "Not this day."

* * *

The following Monday arrived without incident. The news networks broadcasted the information nationwide, just as Lord Vincent had said, and the reception seemed mostly positive. Blake entered her school, her backpack slung over her right shoulder as she read a book in her left hand. The bell signaling the start of the day rang, and without once looking up from the pages she walked through the halls and entered her first class of the day.

Waiting for her in his seat, situated next to hers, was Adam Taurus, looking rather dejected. "There you are," he said. "I've been wanting to talk to you _all weekend_!"

"What's up?" Blake asked, finally putting her book away.

"Did you see the news? Kojima's been usurped by someone named _Sienna_!"

"Yeah, I saw. What does it matter to us? We live in the Spring Court."

Adam scoffed. "He was trying to make things right for the Faunus, though. He barely had a chance!"

Blake, feeling nervous, tried to deflect. "Adam, we're fourteen. We're not supposed to even _care_ about politics, let alone understand it."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But still, isn't it kind of a bummer? Oh well, maybe this Sienna will do something useful."

She shook her head, trying to find a way to change the subject. "How was your movie?" she asked.

"Oh my _God_ , it was _awful!"_ Adam shouted, and he was about to go into a full rant about it before the teacher entered and started class as the final bell rang.

Blake gave a sigh of relief.


End file.
